World Ocean Day, Biennale Teatro, the Boat Show, Ennio Morricone in Piazza San Marco, the Max Mara fashion show, the Venezia Suona festival, Art Night: in June, Venice lights up with music, art, sustainability, fashion, and theater
The Boat Show runs until June 2, bringing extraordinary vessels to the city; Teatro La Fenice presents young pianist Giacomo Menegardi; UNESCO and the Prada Group bring the World Conference on Ocean Education to Venice. Max Mara chooses Palazzo Ducale to present its Resort collection; Stefano Ricci and Gianni Forte present Niger et Albus for the 52nd International Theater Festival of the Venice Biennale; Ca’ Foscari University presents Art Night; the Mestre Book Fest returns; and on June 29, Ennio Morricone will be in Piazza San Marco for the absolute first live performance of San Marco Soundtrack.
June Events
- Salone Nautico Venezia 2024
Arsenale di Venezia
Until Sunday, June 2
Fifth edition of the Boat Show with 270 exhibitors, over 300 vessels on a 50,000 sq m water basin, with docks extending for 1,100 linear meters. The main players in the nautical sector are at the Arsenale di Venezia with more than 50 Venetian shipyards and exhibitors of innovative and traditional boats, numerous lagoon craftsmanship excellences, and international exhibitors from various European countries including the United Kingdom, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.
- Marco Polo’s Journey and Tea
Hotel Ca’ di Dio
Saturday, June 1 at 5 PM
Marco Polo’s Journey and Tea is the first in a series of events hosted by the Ca’ di Dio hotel, part of the official celebrations for the seven hundredth anniversary of Marco Polo’s death, curated by Wavents President Massimo Andreoli with the aim of promoting knowledge of the tangible and intangible heritage excellences of the countries encountered by Marco Polo during his long journey, as described in Il Milione.
Saturday’s event will feature the participation of the National Tea Museum of Hangzhou and the Sri Lanka Tea Board, with sommelier Gabriella Scarpa from the AR-TEA Academy of Venice.
- Teatro La Fenice for the Republic Day Anniversary
Sunday, June 2 at 11 AM
Free admission
Twenty-three-year-old pianist Giacomo Menegardi, winner of the Premio Venezia 2023, will perform solo in a concert offered to the public by the Teatro La Fenice Foundation to celebrate Republic Day.
- Illy Art Conversations
Casa di The Human Safety Net, Procuratie Vecchie, Piazza San Marco
Monday, June 3 at 6:30 PM
Illy Art Conversations starts from the theme of the Venice Biennale 2024 titled Foreigners Everywhere by Adriano Pedrosa and will be moderated by journalist Valentina Raggi with the participation of industrial designer Michael Anastassiades and Alberto Salvadori, director of ICA Milano.
During the meeting, the social impact of art will be explored through dialogue and discussion among experts. A cocktail will follow.
- June at the Teatrino di Palazzo Grassi
Free cultural events designed for diverse audiences continue, including screenings, music, literature, workshops, and meetings with leading figures in contemporary thought:
Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2
In collaboration with the Festival dei Matti, the Teatrino di Palazzo Grassi brings PRIMAVERA NON BUSSA. Futuri ri-belli to its spaces: an initiative involving authors, thinkers, and entertainment figures to refocus attention on the theme of madness and its relationship with normality, beyond common stereotypes.
View the full program here.
Thursday, June 6
Closing evening of Più libri più Laguna, the series organized in collaboration with Più Libri Più Liberi, the National Fair of Small and Medium Publishing, and Libreria MarcoPolo, with curator Chiara Valerio in conversation with Rosi Braidotti, feminist philosopher and theorist, professor emerita at Utrecht University and author of numerous studies on the posthuman.
Friday, June 7
The series of meetings organized in collaboration with the Alliance française de Venise, conceived by Pierre Rosenberg, honorary president of the Alliance française de Venise and member of the Académie Française, which explores cultural relations between France and Italy, particularly in the literary field, continues with Barbara Cassin, philologist and philosopher.
- The Peggy Guggenheim Collection: Eroticism, Art, and Love Stories
Three unmissable events at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection featuring erotic art, the romantic lives of great artists, and Art Night.
Monday, June 3 at 5 PM, at Palazzo Badoer – IUAV, Am I Evil? begins, a decolonial erotic writing workshop led by curator Simone Basani to explore and deconstruct stereotypes and taboos related to sexuality, inspired by the exhibition Jean Cocteau. La rivincita del giocoliere at the Collection until September 16.
Thursday, June 20 from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM, attention will shift to the romantic relationships of artists with the meeting Friends, Accomplices, and Lovers led by Luca Scarlini, who will guide the audience through the loves, passions, and secrets that marked the lives of some of the collection’s protagonists.
As every Thursday afternoon, admission is free for residents and students.
Saturday, June 22, the museum will participate in Art Night with extended opening hours: from 6 PM to 10 PM, visitors will have free access to the exhibitions.
The events are free and open to all.
- Mestre Book Fest 2024
Teatro Toniolo, Mestre
June 4 to 16
The Mestre Book Fest returns for its second consecutive year, featuring literature and culture with the presence of major international authors and personalities such as Javier Castillo, Eshkol Nevo, Enrico Galiano, Rokia, Fulvio Marino, Eleonora Riso, winner of Masterchef Italia, and crime master Don Winslow, who will present his latest novel City in Ruins, published by HarperCollins, in preview.
Promoted by Confcommercio Mestre and the Municipality of Venice, with support from the Venice Chamber of Commerce, Fondazione di Venezia, and Vela S.p.A.
The festival’s artistic director will once again be Alessandro Tridello from Libreria Ubik on via Poerio.
Events will take place in two time slots: at 6:30 PM and 9 PM, with special lunches on weekends and a day dedicated to Marco Polo. Read the full program.
- Art for Tomorrow
Palazzo Diedo, Berggruen Institute
June 5 to 7
The 2024 edition of Art for Tomorrow opens with the title Imperfect Beauty, organized by the Democracy & Culture Foundation, focusing on the complexity of the concept of beauty today, starting from Venice and its fragilities.
The event will address themes such as overtourism, the climate crisis, and cultural identity, discussing how cities and cultural sites can preserve their heritage. The program will include plenary sessions moderated by New York Times journalists, cultural visits, and discussions on sustainability, architecture, and the role of museums.
Prominent figures from the international art scene will participate, including artists Urs Fischer, Thijs Biersteker and Giulia Andreani, the president of Qatar Museums, Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, French architect and designer Philippe Starck, art market economist Magnus Resch, and many others.
Registration is open for those wishing to attend the closed-door event. All information at artfortomorrow.org.
The World Conference on Ocean Education, organized as part of SEA BEYOND, will be held at Ca’ Giustinian on June 7 and 8
On June 7 and 8, Venice will host the Ocean Literacy World Conference, organized by the Prada Group and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Ocean Day.
The event, sponsored by the Municipality of Venice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will take place at the Venice Biennale headquarters at Ca’ Giustinian and will see on the first day the participation of 150 delegates from 87 countries, who will discuss policies and strategies to integrate ocean education into school curricula, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).
Among the event’s objectives is the Venice Declaration for Ocean Literacy, a programmatic document to be shared with United Nations member states.
Participants include institutional representatives and international experts such as Magdalena Landry, Peter Thomson, Maria Chiara Carrozza, Nicola Bridge, Mario Sprovieri, Michela Schenetti, Sandra Castañer, Shamim Wasii Nyanda, Afiq Durrani Mohd Fahmi, Ronaldo Christofoletti and Romain Troublé.
The conference will be streamed on the “UNESCO Venice” YouTube channel.
It will conclude at 7:30 PM – 8:15 PM with an event for the public: the presentation and screening of the documentary on the SEA BEYOND project: Asilo della Laguna at Multisala Rossini.
On Saturday, June 8, the Venice Declaration for Ocean Literacy will be presented and approved, followed by the presentation of the SEA BEYOND Ideas Box, a multimedia library designed by Philippe Starck for Bibliothèques Sans Frontières, which will be donated to Foqus – Fondazione Quartieri Spagnoli in Naples.
In the afternoon, from 2:30 PM, children and young people from Venice will be able to explore the Ideas Box through themed workshops.
BOOK YOUR WORKSHOP:
Workshop 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM
Workshop 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM
Workshop 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM
Workshop 4:45 PM – 5:30 PM
Participation in public events is free, upon registration.
Information at pradagroup.com.
- Electric Supermoon
Blue Gallery
June 9 to July 7
Curated by Quadro Zero and directed by Silvio Pasqualini, the solo exhibition by Korean artist Hyun Cho represents an important return to Italy for the artist, who had previously exhibited in 2018 at Spazio Display in Parma and subsequently at Palazzo Monti in Brescia.
Reality and perception are at the heart of the artist’s work, which through installations, sculptures, LED panels, and texts invites reflection on how urban representations can appear real and tangible while remaining ephemeral and elusive.
The artist stated: “With words, I aim to create a new genre of art. I blend the lyrical style of punk music with pop sensibility to create phrases that express my experience and serve viewers to attach their own.” It is an approach to make art accessible and relevant, using short, incisive texts that capture attention and stimulate reflection on the complexities of our everyday world.
- MORE GIARDINI
Palazzo Experimental
Sunday, June 9 at 5 PM
Admission for pass holders only
Eighth edition of MORE, this year in the beautiful garden and spaces of Palazzo Experimental, with Radiooooo presenting its new podcast Italia express.
Live: Edoardo Florio Di Grazia and Radiooooo DJs will play the best Italian songs.
- Max Mara Resort 2025 Fashion Show
Palazzo Ducale
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
For the Emilian fashion house, showing in Venice underscores the importance of connecting fashion and cultural heritage. The ideal city for a collection that promises to be sartorial and innovative.
The choice of Venice follows the stages of Stockholm and Porto, where Max Mara designer Ian Griffiths drew inspiration from Scandinavian culture and female emancipation, and from Natália Correia’s erotic feminism.
- Osaru Obaseki: The Residency Outcome
AKKA Project Venezia
June 13 to September 18
The final result of Osaru Obaseki’s residency in Venice is a collection of works that blend Venetian and African traditions, ranging from evocative paintings to sculptures, using Murano glass as a symbol of the encounter between different cultures and artistic expression.
During the three-month stay, the Nigerian artist deeply explored Venetian culture, finding inspiration at the Gallerie dell’Accademia, Museo Correr, and the Natural History Museum. Participating in the presentation of the book African Venice with Professor Shaul Bassi allowed her to discover the historical connections between Venice, Africa, and her hometown, Benin City.
A key moment of the residency was the collaboration with the Berengo Foundation in Murano, giving Osaru the opportunity to work with master glassmakers, experimenting with Murano glass and participating in the international exhibition Glasstress 8½, alongside world-renowned artists such as Ai Weiwei.
- The Lace Biennale
Piazza Galuppi 187, Burano
June 14 to January 8, 2025
The Lace Museum in Burano hosts the fourth edition of the Lace Biennale. In dialogue with the museum’s precious collection, which spans four centuries of history and rare specimens from the 16th century, Fragile Stories comes to life, the exhibition exploring the aesthetics of lace through the works of artists Mandy Bonnell and Déirdre Kelly.
At the press preview (June 14, from 11 AM to 1 PM), the winners of the 10th National Competition for needle lace and bobbin lace will be announced, this year dedicated to the theme of “The Fable.” A national competition created to preserve and pass on the ancient art of Burano lace to future generations.
- Venezia Suona Festival 2024
Parco Ex-Umberto I, Fondamenta Fornasa Vecia, Cannaregio 3027
June 14 to 23
Il Suono Improvviso, in collaboration with the Municipality of Venice, organizes Venezia Suona! Ten days of music, concerts, and art in the evocative setting of Parco Ex-Umberto I in Cannaregio.
An unexpected Venice where each day will have a different theme: a journey through arts and musical genres accompanied by new talents, highly experienced artists, and passionate bands, ready to engage the audience.
- 52nd International Theater Festival – Biennale Teatro 2024
Arsenale at Teatro alle Tese and Teatro Piccolo Arsenale
June 15 to 30
“The world is in color, but reality is in black and white,” states Wim Wenders, and this quote seems to embody the spirit of Biennale Teatro 2024, which stages the contrast between black and white, between good and evil. Audiences will be invited to reflect on the complexity of life, where shades of gray often blur with stark contrasts.
The four-year project by directors Stefano Ricci and Gianni Forte brings to Venice a program of performances and events with the most important protagonists of contemporary theater, and productions created within Biennale College Teatro, which offers young artists the opportunity to grow and engage with masters of the field.
Among the participants, the Anglo-German collective Gob Squad and the Australian company Back to Back Theatre, awarded the Silver Lion and Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, respectively.
- Veneto Jazz Festival 2024
Saturday, June 15, from 6 PM to 7:30 PM
Auditorium lo Squero of the Giorgio Cini Foundation, San Giorgio Island
Adagio is the new album by Hank Roberts and Filippo Vignato, released by Hora Records, and represents the continuation of their collaboration that began in 2019 with Ghost Dance.
Roberts, legendary American cellist, and Vignato, Italian trombonist, worked together in the Italian-American band Pipe Dream. With Adagio, the two musicians explore and constantly renew musical roles and gestures, blending chamber, folk, and free improvisation elements. This approach reflects their artistic philosophy based on creative freedom and transcending genre boundaries.
- Mariko Mori, Peace Crystal
Garden of Palazzo Corner della Ca’ Granda
June 16 to October 7
Press preview: June 15, from 11 AM to 1 PM
Free admission by reservation
Mariko Mori, one of the most significant Japanese artists of the past fifty years, presents a new artwork in Venice. Her non-profit organization, the Faou Foundation, inaugurates in mid-June the installation Peace Crystal in the garden of Palazzo Corner della Ca’ Granda, also known as Ca’ Corner.
The work, inspired by Buddhist philosophy, contains a 1.60-meter crystal symbolizing the human body in upright posture. This representation highlights humanity’s crucial evolutionary point, which enabled the development of intelligence and spirituality, allowing humans to receive energy from celestial and terrestrial forces.
This work, which in October will be donated to Ethiopia and installed in a cave to commemorate human origins in Africa, is part of a series of six site-specific works distributed across continents to promote harmony with the environment. Alexandra Munroe, curator of the project and Senior Curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, highlights how Mori draws from various disciplines to manifest invisible energies.
Mariko Mori is also present in Venice in the exhibition Janus curated by Mario Codognato and Adriana Rispoli at Palazzo Diedo, open to the public throughout Biennale Arte 2024.
- ART NIGHT VENEZIA 2024
Saturday, June 22
The highly anticipated Art Night Venezia, scheduled for Saturday, June 22, will transform Venice into a vibrant stage of culture and art for its thirteenth edition.
Organized and coordinated by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, the event has rightfully entered the calendar of European Art Nights, and will involve over one hundred city institutions, including museums, palaces, galleries, and bookstores, extending to the mainland and islands with a wide range of experiences: guided tours, workshops, performances, concerts, and events.
- Berggruen Arts & Culture
Palazzo Diedo
June 16 – 17 at 7 PM screening and talk
June 22 Art Night
All events are open to the public
In June, Palazzo Diedo, the new contemporary art hub in Venice, presents three art events for the month:
– Sunday June 16, the documentary Taking Venice by Amei Wallach will be screened, exploring the city’s art scene.
– Monday, June 17, a talk between artist Mariko Mori and philosopher Emanuele Coccia titled Oneness, related to the installation Peace Crystal (see above).
Saturday, June 22, from 4 PM to midnight, for Art Night: a marathon of conversations and performances curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist.
- Venetian Bubbles
Monumental Rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana
From June 22 to August 18
The Czech-German painter and graphic artist Jiří Georg Dokoupil presents an unprecedented phase of his artistic practice in the Monumental Rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana with the exhibition Venetian Bubbles. Curated by Reiner Opoku and supported by the Association for Art in Public.
Eight large glass sculptures, seven large-scale paintings, and a series of works on paper provide a comprehensive overview of Dokoupil’s innovative artistic research, as he continues to explore new materials and techniques within the realm of visual expression.
On Friday, June 21 at 11 AM, a press conference will be held at the Monumental Rooms of the Library in Piazza San Marco, during which the artist will discuss his works and the creative process that generated them.
- SwimRun Serenissima Venezia
Marina di Sant’Elena
June 22 to 23
To register, please visit the website kimavenezia.com
An 8 km run and 2200 m swim make up this two-day sporting event in Venice by KIMA. Two days of athletic competitions involving both sea and land, featuring athletes from various categories.
Saturday, June 22 will be dedicated to swimming races over distances of 800, 1800, and 3500 meters.
Sunday, June 23 will begin at 7:30 AM with athlete registration and the distribution of race packs. The men’s and women’s swimrun races will start at 10 AM, followed by relays at 12:15 PM and swimming races at 3 PM. The awards ceremony will conclude the event at 4 PM.
- Venice Jazz Festival
Sale Apollinee of the Teatro La Fenice
Saturday, June 22, at 7:30 PM
Wednesday, June 26, at 7:30 PM
For June, the Venice Jazz Festival 2024, now in its sixteenth edition, offers two unmissable dates for international jazz lovers:
On Saturday, June 22, at 7:30 PM, the Giovanni Guidi Trio will perform The Falcon. Guidi, a prominent pianist on the ECM label, will be joined by Joe Rehmer on double bass and Enrico Morello on drums. The trio is known for musical explorations ranging from free improvisation to innovative interpretations of the jazz tradition.
On Wednesday, June 26, at the same time and location, it will be the turn of Greek pianist Tania Giannouli, who blends jazz, classical, and folk influences. Her career has been recognized with numerous awards, including first place in the New International Talent category by Musica Jazz in 2023.
- ENOLOGISMI
_docks_ Cantieri Cucchini
Saturday, June 22 from 6 PM
Participation is limited to 20 people with advance reservation (€60 per person)
Visionary Memories is an Art Night event featuring a guided tour by Laura Riolfatto and Massimo Zardo. The route winds from the Castello district to the Olivolo di San Pietro at the _docks_ cantieri cucchini, offering an immersion into the history of wine in Venice through stories of travels, rituals, and meeting places.
During the evening, participants can explore three exhibitions set up in the _docks_ spaces and taste a selection of Malvasia wines from various Italian regions, accompanied by typical Venetian cicchetti. The walk will conclude with a sunset aperitif on the pier overlooking the San Pietro di Castello Canal.
- Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana
Saturday, June 22, at: 6 PM, 7 PM, and 8 PM
Maximum 50 people per group
Entrance is at Piazzetta San Marco No. 7 and the visit will last approximately 50 minutes. Reservation on the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana website is required to participate.
For the thirteenth edition of Art Night, the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana will open its doors for an extraordinary visit to the Sansovino Library and the historic reading rooms, coordinated by Ca’ Foscari University in collaboration with the City of Venice.
The visit will be guided by librarians Monica Donaglio and Margherita Venturelli, who will illustrate the history of the San Marco Library building and the study rooms of the Zecca palace, the current home of the Library since 1904.
- Ennio Morricone – Marco Polo Soundtrack
Piazza San Marco
Saturday, June 29, at 9 PM
At the end of June, Piazza San Marco will host an extraordinary event: the first live performance of the Marco Polo soundtrack, composed by Maestro Ennio Morricone, as part of the celebrations for the 700th anniversary of the death of the great Venetian traveler.
The Orchestra Regionale Filarmonia Veneta and the Cantori Veneziani, conducted by Danilo Rossi, will perform the original scores in a show that combines music, cinema, and history.
Produced by Zen Production in collaboration with Veneto Jazz, and sponsored by the City of Venice and the National Committee for the celebrations, the event will also feature the screening of images from the RAI television series of the same name directed by Giuliano Montaldo, with costumes from the Stefano Nicolao atelier. The soundtrack, originally released on vinyl in 1983, consists of 36 tracks spanning over two hours of music and represents one of Morricone’s most moving works.
Article by Lucia Pecoraro.
Photo by Mariko Mori, Peace Crystal in Cave, Ethiopia, 2016-2014. C-print face-mounted into plexiglass. Courtesy of Faou Foundation. Photo by Massimo Pistore. Courtesy of the Artist, Faou Foundation and Palazzo Diedo / Berggruen Arts & Culture.
© The Democracy & Culture Foundation.
Guggenheim photos by Arianna Ferraretto and Matteo De Fina.
Palazzo Ducale photo by Marco Valmarana.
Martina Vidal Venezia lace by Settimo Cannatella.
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