The Venezia da Vivere guide to Art Night 2024, the Venetian night of art
On Saturday, June 22, Art Night returns to Venice. This thirteenth edition of the event, organized by Ca’ Foscari University, features music, videos, DJ sets, and experiences until Sunday, June 23, and is included in the official calendar of European Art Nights.
A total of 145 institutions are offering over 150 free experiences and events across Venice, the mainland, and the islands until late at night: a marathon of evening openings of palaces and museums, theatrical performances, concerts, lectures, exhibitions, and workshops for both adults and children.
Inauguration at 6 PM at Ca’ Foscari, featuring the traditional distribution of gadgets and institutional greetings.
Enriching this year’s event are several Open Ateliers by Venetian artisans who have collaborated with artists for the White Night of Art; the extraordinary opening of Palazzo Mocenigo and Ca’ Pesaro; the Astra, Giorgione, Dante, and Rossini cinemas with tickets at €3; music under the stars such as the DJ set by Mel Marcondes at 193 Gallery, or the concert by the Hybrid Music Ensemble and the bands Deira and Androgynus at the Arena del Parco Bissuola; and the Sleepless Video Art Night: an entire night of screenings organized in collaboration with CIFRA, a digital art platform whose vast catalog offers a wide window into the world of art, video art, and dance films, transforming the night from 12:30 AM to 6:30 AM into a visual journey through real and imaginary worlds.
Read the full Art Night 2024 program.
Highlights
- Saturday, June 22: Art Night Venezia, the Start!
The event will begin at 6 PM with the opening of the gates and the distribution of gadgets (venue closes at 1 AM). At 6:30 PM, the workshop for children and adults Find Me! The Avant-Garde in the Desert by Ca’rte lab, a project of the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice that brings together all activities and workshops related to the exhibitions.
Reservation required: cartelab@unive.it
The evening will continue with guided tours of the Aula Baratto at 6:30 PM and 7:30 PM, and will conclude with the site-specific audio-visual performance (duration 50′) The Avant-Garde in the Desert: Images, Fabrics, Sounds, Words at 10:30 PM in the main courtyard.
- Sunday, June 23: Art Night Doubles
The Sunday morning appointment with Le petit déjeuner ARCOBALENO (from 9 AM to 2 PM) is not to be missed, held in collaboration with Malìparmi at the Giardino della Palazzina Briati in Dorsoduro.
– 9 AM: Guest arrival and breakfast setup
– 10 AM: Jury review
– From 10 AM: Discovering Palazzina Briati guided tours
– From 10:30 AM: Educational workshop for children aged 5 to 11
– 11:30 AM: Award ceremony
During the morning, the Mamme per Caso Vocal Group will perform, an all-female ensemble from the Lido of Venice active for nearly thirty years.
Reservation required: artnightvenezia@unive.it.
- Art Between East and West
This year, the Ca’ Foscari focus for Art Night is on the exhibition Uzbekistan: The Avant-Garde in the Desert, the first exhibition in the West of masterpieces from the museums of Tashkent and Nukus, which is part of the celebrations for the seventh centenary of Marco Polo. It offers an unprecedented look at the cultural dialogue between East and West, divided into two main sections: Light and Color in Florence and Form and Symbol in Venice, illustrating the evolution of Uzbek painting from the 19th century until 1937.
For Art Night, guided tours organized by Ca’ Foscari Tour are scheduled for 6:30 PM and 7:30 PM without reservation, except for special tours at 8:30 PM, 9 PM, and 11 PM with the exhibition curators.
- A Night of Video
An entire night of screenings at the Auditorium Santa Margherita: Sleepless Video Art Night, in collaboration with the digital art platform CIFRA.
From 12:30 AM to 6:30 AM, the night will transform into a visual journey through real and imaginary worlds, a nocturnal marathon of thirty works selected through the Marco Polo (Re)imagined open call launched by CIFRA between April and May 2024.
Menene Gras Balaguer, art critic, philosopher, and Director of Culture and Exhibitions at Casa Asia in Barcelona, will present the three main themes: Connecting East and West, North and South, New Ways of Seeing, and (Re)Thinking Media.
Admission is free, and registration is recommended HERE to secure a seat.
- Afro Identity in Passengers in Transit
The 193 Gallery in San Trovaso hosts an evening dedicated to contemporary art from 7 PM to 11 PM, featuring a DJ set by Mel Marcondes for the exhibition Passengers in Transit, part of the Venice Art Biennale 2024 program. The works of five artists of African descent explore themes of being a stranger, identity, and belonging.
Curated by Paula Nascimento, Oyindamola Faithful, and Roger Niyigena Karera, the exhibition is organized by the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos, founded by Bisi Silva. 193 Gallery Venice is located near Campo San Trovaso in Dorsoduro, in the former Solveni Pharmacy, Fondamenta Priuli 993/994.
- Exhibitions and Events at the Procuratie Vecchie in St. Mark’s Square
From 6 PM to 10 PM, The Home of The Human Safety Net opens its doors and terraces for free visits to the interactive exhibition A World of Potential and the installation About Us by Tracey Snelling.
The evening will feature Living Books, narrating stories of resilience and courage. An encounter with asylum seekers to strengthen the message of inclusion and solidarity, in connection with World Refugee Day, celebrated on June 20.
Starting at 10 PM, the Bookstore of The Human Safety Net will host a nocturnal reading marathon in Italian and Persian of the complete works of Forugh Farrokhzad, I Speak from the Edges of the Night. The initiative, curated by Voci di carta and Libreria la Toletta, will also involve refugees from A2030 Social Innovation Designers.
Extraordinary opening with access without reservation of the Olivetti Showroom – a FAI property, from 6:30 PM to 9 PM, where visitors can admire the temporary exhibition Tony Cragg: Silicon, Carbon, Lanthanum and the extraordinary interiors designed by the great Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa.
On the second floor of the Procuratie Vecchie, from 6 PM to 10 PM, the collateral exhibition of the Venice Biennale dedicated to Robert Indiana, The Sweet Mystery, will be open for free visits: one of the most significant showcases of the American Pop artist’s work in Italy, featuring over 40 works spanning six decades of his career.
For further information, please contact: visit@thehumansafetynet.org.
- New Contemporary Visions: Art, Poetry, Music at the Querini
Explore the art collections for free, visit temporary exhibitions with a guide, and enjoy readings in the Carlo Scarpa garden: these are the offerings from Fondazione Querini Stampalia from 6 PM to 10 PM for Art Night.
6 PM: Guided tour of the exhibition Ilya and Emilia Kabakov: Between Heaven and Earth. A Tribute to Ilya Kabakov
Organized in collaboration with the Ilya & Emilia Kabakov Art Foundation, the exhibition pays tribute to Ilya Kabakov (1933–2023), a leading figure in conceptual art. During the guided tour, visitors can admire several installations designed specifically for the spaces of the Querini Museum, providing a broad perspective on the artist’s creativity and innovation.
7:15 PM – Guided tour of the exhibition A Journey to the Infinite: Yoo Youngkuk
A collateral event of the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, organized in collaboration with the Yoo Youngkuk Art Foundation, this is the first solo exhibition in Europe and the most significant retrospective ever held outside Korea for the Korean artist Yoo Youngkuk (1916–2002), a pioneer of geometric abstract painting in Korea.
8:30 PM – Poetry reading Azalea Flowers: A Journey to Discover Korean Poetry
Explore the richness of contemporary Korean poetry and discover its deep connection with nature and the feeling of “poignant longing”: a poetry reading curated and performed by Margherita Stevanato, accompanied on the flute by Daniele Ruggieri, in the splendid garden of Fondazione Querini Stampalia designed by Carlo Scarpa.
For reservations, visit the website: www.querinistampalia.org.
- Conversations on Contemporary Art with Hans Ulrich Obrist
With the group exhibition Janus, the Berggruen Arts & Culture Foundation at Palazzo Diedo has inaugurated its new space for contemporary art in Venice.
At 1:30 PM, the foundation presents to the press the new site-specific work Venice Inclined, Oval Staircase by artist Carsten Höller, known for his interactive and often provocative installations.
The inauguration will feature key figures of the project: Carsten Höller himself, the founder of the Berggruen Arts & Culture Foundation, Nicolas Berggruen, director Mario Codognato, and the architect responsible for the restoration of Palazzo Diedo, Silvio Fassi.
Guest from 4 PM to midnight for Art Night is Hans Ulrich Obrist, one of the world’s most influential art curators, known for his ability to connect artists, thinkers, and the public. He will lead a marathon of conversations and performances titled What is Universalism? involving various figures from the international art scene.
Sunday, June 23 at 7 PM will feature the screening of the documentary Taking Venice in the presence of director Amei Wallach.
- Final Weekend of Hovering
Final days of the exhibition Hovering by Capsule Venice to discover the work of 13 international artists on the concept of suspension, exploring an intermediate state between the finished and the unfinished, where boundaries between different identities, states, or concepts are fluid and subject to transformation.
Friday, June 21, 4 PM: An Afternoon with Nicki Cherry, a guided tour of the exhibition followed by a Q&A session with the artist.
Saturday, June 22, 9 PM: Celestial Bloom with Emiliano Maggi, presenting a performance designed for Art Night, integrating elements of music and visual art.
Sunday, June 23, from 11 AM to 6 PM: extraordinary opening of the Hovering exhibition at Fondamenta Rossa, Dorsoduro 2525.
- In Mestre with Art
M9 – Museum of the 20th Century participates with a free screening of the documentary Manufactured Landscapes directed by Jennifer Baichwal (Canada 2006, 90′), which chronicles the first photographic campaign in China by Edward Burtynsky, the protagonist of M9’s new temporary exhibition.
The documentary explores the immense Chinese factories that have fueled the country’s industrial revolution since the 1980s, highlighting the environmental and social implications of this transformation.
The screening will take place at 6:30 PM in the Cesare De Michelis Auditorium. Admission from 6 PM is free while seats last.
On Saturday the 22nd, the museum will extend its opening hours until 10 PM. From 7 PM onwards, access to the permanent exhibition will be free, while the exhibition Burtynsky: Extraction/Abstraction can be visited with a reduced ticket price of 8 euros instead of 10.
- Three Cine-Concert Moments
Palazzetto Bru Zane – Centre de musique romantique française (San Polo 2368) presents a program for Saturday, June 22, that combines cinema and live music. In tribute to great silent cinema, three episodes of the saga Les Vampires by French director and screenwriter Louis Feuillade will be screened. In 1915, he created a series of ten silent films about the criminal exploits of the “Vampires” gang, starring Irma Vep, the anti-heroine played by actress Musidora.
7:30 PM with the episode Le Cryptogramme rouge
9 PM with Le Spectre
10 PM with L’Évasion du mort
The screenings will be accompanied by a selection of piano music curated by Marco Bellano and performed by Gabriele Dal Santo. A toast will be offered during the intermissions.
- Altri Sguardi and Julie Mehretu: Night at Palazzo Grassi
On the occasion of Art Night Venezia, the exhibition Julie Mehretu. Ensemble at Palazzo Grassi is open free to the public on Saturday, June 22, from 8 PM to midnight (last entry at 11 PM). Fifty works, including paintings and prints created by Mehretu over the last twenty-five years and some recent works, pace an exhibition path that includes 17 works by other artists invited by the artist, such as Nairy Baghramian, Huma Bhabha, Robin Coste Lewis, Tacita Dean, David Hammons, Paul Pfeiffer, and Jessica Rankin.
On the morning of Saturday, June 22, at 11 AM, participants of the cultural mediation project Altri Sguardi, aimed at refugees and migrants, will meet the public of the “Julie Mehretu. Ensemble” exhibition to present their personal interpretation of some of the works on display.
- Martha Jungwirth on Display at Palazzo Cini
Palazzo Cini participates in the White Night of Art by extending its opening hours until 10:30 PM. Admission will be free from 7 PM, with last entry at 9:45 PM.
The Palazzo Cini Gallery hosts an exhibition dedicated to the Austrian artist Martha Jungwirth (Vienna, 1940). The only woman among the founders of the Wirklichkeiten (Realities) group, her works were shown in the 1968 Vienna Secession exhibition curated by Otto Breicha. With an innovative visual language, her works are characterized by the exploration of color and incisive lines. Her compositions move between abstraction and figuration, capturing fleeting impulses that manifest in painting. The forms in her works are elusive, shifting between the real and the imaginary, between the incarnate and the transcendent.
Curated by Luca Massimo Barbero, director of the Institute of Art History at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, and realized with the support of the Thaddaeus Ropac gallery, the exhibition will be open to the public until September 29, every day of the week (except Tuesdays). The permanent collections will remain open until October 13.
- Open Ateliers for Art Night
Paperoowl
Fondamenta Rio Marin, 821
Paper artist Stefania Giannici offers one of the must-see events on the Art Night map, featuring an exhibition and a lecture. As a sharing of new collective rituals for a sense of community and belonging, from June 21 to 25 in Stefania’s atelier, it will be possible to admire the works of South African artist Lizrae Meyer, who specializes in porcelain works.
On Saturday, June 22, with two sessions from 6:30 PM to 8 PM and from 8:30 PM to 11 PM, we can experience the expressive lecture of Burlevole e ridicoloso lunario by the street poet Paolo Britti from the first half of the 17th century, with the voice of Roberta Barbiero and costumes provided by Raffaele Dessì of the Pietro Longhi atelier.
During the evening, the text of the ironic almanac, printed and bound by Guido Giannici for Paperoowl in a limited edition, will be presented, along with “boxed” illustrations inspired by the months of the year created by Stefania Giannici. This event is organized in collaboration with Labyrinthus, Stanza editrice per una Editoria da Camera, a publishing project by Guido Giannici.
To participate, it is important to book via email at: stefania@paperoowl.com.
Atelier&Gallery Paper Project Venice
Salizada Malipiero, San Marco 3209/A
Architect and paper artist Anita Cerpelloni presents Venice and the East, an immersive project exploring the deep bond between Venice and the Orient through the art of origami, watercolors, lights, scents of incense and spices, sounds, and a collection of images in tribute to Marco Polo on the 700th anniversary of his death.
- Opening Saturday, June 22, at 5 PM
The exhibition Venetian Bubbles by artist Jiří Georg Dokoupil opens on June 22 and continues until August 18 in the Monumental Rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, with entrance from the Museo Correr in St. Mark’s Square. Curated by Reiner Opoku and supported by the Association for Art in Public, the exhibition represents a new phase in the versatile and experimental artistic practice of the artist, part of the Neue Wilde movement in Germany.
Eight large glass sculptures reflecting the concept of strength and fragility, seven large-scale paintings in which the artist mixes soap and pigments to create organic prints, and a series of works on paper, all created specifically for this exhibition.
Featured is Open Bubbles Condensation Cube, a work in tribute to his former teacher Hans Haacke: glass bubbles in a box with condensed water, simulating a living system within the work.
Article by Lucia Pecoraro.
Photos: View of Ca’ Foscari Venice, ph. Riccardo Rizzetto; 193 Gallery Passengers in Transit 2024; Uzbekistan: The Avant-Garde in the Desert: Tatevosyan O.K. The Fruit Tent. 1928, Oil on canvas 67 x 85 cm; Procuratie Vecchie – The Home of The Human Safety Net by Alessandra Chemollo; Firmamento Debora Hirsch 2019; KABAKOV by Ilya and Emilia Kabakov; Garden reading at Querini Stampalia with Margherita Stevanato; Yoo Youngkuk, installation of A Journey to the Infinite; Capsule Venice – Hovering by Riccardo Banfi; Manufactured Landscapes by Jennifer Baichwal; Mehretu Among the Multitude XIII ph. Tom Powel Imaging; Martha Jungwirth, Ohne Titel, aus der Serie “Porte Dorée” 2023 (MJ 1387); Portrait of Anita Cerpelloni ph. Settimo Cannatella; Jiri Georg Dokoupil 2024 Courtesy of Reiner Opoku Office and Georg Dokoupil.
