If you thought London’s art district (better known as Cork Street, Mayfair) felt a little barren in the middle of last month, you were on to something. Everyone, their PA and their PA’s trio of Courtauld interns had shlepped to Venice and hunkered down in a super-yacht, the Cipriani hotel or the floor of an Airbnb with five other gallery girls (depending on one’s level of seniority/parentage). Yes, it was the lavish pre-opening of the 60th Biennale Arte — the world’s longest-running, most extravagant contemporary art festival — and the creative great and good descended with an unquenchable thirst for art and Aperol alike. Best believe all itches were scratched.
Where did the Brits congregate? Around our own pavilion, of course. Great Britain was one of 85 nations that took part (much anticipated as it comes only every other year), where countries host independent exhibitions on an overarching theme (this year, ‘Foreigners Everywhere’). Sir John Akomfrah was commissioned to represent the UK , and dug in to colonisation and globalisation with his impressive show, Listening All Night to the Rain. On Wednesday night, there was a British bash to celebrate the opening and on Thursday the only words on anyone’s lips were Burberry, the pavilion’s headline sponsor.
