Canicula

Artists: Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Massimo D’Anolfi and Martina Parenti, Roman Khimei and Yarema Malashchuk, Janis Rafa, P. Staff, Wang Tuo, Yuyan Wang and Maya Watanabe

“Canicula,” the Latin term that translates as “dog days,” is widely used today to refer to the hottest days of summer, a period of the year that, in various ancient Mediterranean cultures, was associated with either great abundance or terrible ruin. Following on from Penumbra (2022) and Nebula (2024), Canicula will mark the end of a narrative arc that, over the course of three Venice Biennale cycles, has gradually charted the transition from a lack of light to a surfeit. While Penumbra explored the ambiguity of dim light and Nebula navigated a path through the disorientation of fog, Canicula will look at blinding brightness and scorching heat. These are conditions that, once again, deceive the senses and raise questions about the reliability of vision and the interpretations of reality that it yields.

The exhibition concept for Canicula is inspired by the phenomena of extreme light and heat as material and metaphorical frameworks, in which matter, people, and ideas are put under pressure. Image overload, information distortion, memory saturation, abuses of power, and oppressive temperatures are taking societies – and, indeed, the Earth itself – to the very brink of collapse. The works in Canicula evoke the sensations associated with the overwhelming atmosphere of the present moment in which our bodies, minds, and politics are immersed. Within this context, the works engage with internal and external agents of consumption and erosion to ponder the irresolvable riddle of image production and its broader implications.

Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli and his Milanese studio 2050+    have once again been invited to interpret the curatorial concept through the exhibition design. The composite architecture of the Complesso dell’Ospedaletto in Venice––incorporating the Church of Santa Maria dei Derelitti, the frescoed concert room, the old pharmacy, and areas of the modern retirement home––will be transformed to welcome the newly commissioned video installations into a close visual and sonic dialogue.

Canicula will be accompanied by a cross-disciplinary symposium curated by Bianca Stoppani, curator of the Fondazione’s editorial and discursive programs. The symposium will involve the artists appearing in the exhibition and, via panels with international curators and thinkers, will expand the conversations around their practice.