Are We The Aliens_ is an immersive exhibition by artist Arne Quinze and music producer Swizz Beatz for the 2024 Venice Biennale. The exhibition consists of six components in three sites: a church, monastery and school – all located on the same fairly compact campus. It is on display at the historic 16th century Campo San Francesco della Vigna during the Biennale, now through November 24, 2024.
How we found it:
We had not seen any articles about this when planning our trip to the Biennale. We happened to be walking through the area the night we arrived in Venice. Public buildings and art venues were closed up for the evening. As we wound up and down the streets exploring, we spotted bright yellow signage announcing Are We The Aliens_ around a church and piazza. The signs made us wonder what it related to and think about the question itself. We peeked into the locked cloister garden and we could see glimpses of a ceramic sculpture through the metal gate that looked suspiciously out of place.
The Church:
The next morning our first stop was to go back to the area to check it out! San Francesco della Vigna church, like many religious spaces, is very dark after coming inside from a sunny day. Once the eyes adjust to the light, the ornate detail of the paintings, sculpture, shrines, lights and windows quickly overwhelm. We scanned the various side chapels for interesting art. To our surprise, in front of a shrine on the right-hand side was a large contemporary metal sculpture simply titled Bronze_. This work is a flower-like organic sculpture nestled in front of the expected traditional cathedral art. It was exciting to see – but it felt very out of place. The didactic panel noted that it was designed by Arne Quinze to mirror nature’s cycles and the harmony of 15th century painting ‘Madonna and Child’ behind it.
The Monastery:
Adjoining the church on the left side is the monastery and cloister open to all for enjoyment “in silence”. Now that it was open, we entered and saw face-to-face the large-scale futuristic flower looking ceramic sculpture. Again, we found good didactic panels explaining the artwork. Titled Ceramorphia_, the sculpture is composed of intricate flower patterns with fungi-like textures, which evolved in Quince’s work from the studies of his wildflower garden.
These two beautifully contemporary sculptures were visually out of place and alien to their traditional surroundings. However, we still were not putting two and two together.
As we rounded the church we found the main exhibition space in the school, set back at the end of a piazza to the right.
Thennnnnn it all began to make sense.
The School:
The main exhibition covers two floors within the school. Entering, you are immediately immersed in a fantasy/futuristic world of large-scale sculpture, soundscapes, video and music, that asks you to contemplate humanity’s interactions with /detachment from nature.
What stood out to me about this exhibition was the spacious, minimal and clean curation. The white spaces are filled with textures and perfect splashes of color; the flow moves you along through shapes and the mixing of media.
The ground floor of the school:
Impact Glass_ installation occupies the center of the main floor. White “clouds” are filled with colorful organic sculptural forms made of glass that float on or just above the surface. The sculptures are created with mixed media, bronze, ceramic & glass. The glass works were in collaboration with Berengo Studio in Murano and Atelier Vierkant. This part of the installation is meant to imply humans landing on Earth in the form of alien DNA – disrupting nature’s balance.
Two video pieces, entitled SIX Testimonials_, are placed on each side of the space/installation. The content questions “humanity’s state of alienation as otherworldly beings foreign to the earth”. The visuals are bright and feature interestingly eerie detailed futuristic AI characters who share their extraterrestrial declarations.
The first floor of the school:
Sonic Levitation_ is a perfect blend of Quinze’s organic aluminum and light sculptures paired with Swizz Beatz’ digital instrumental soundscape. In the large white space, we found a four part abstract wildflower-like sculpture made of metal and lights that forms a circle around the room (and viewers); this shape is to symbolize perfect continuous harmony. The balance of elements (along with a misty fog) reflect nature’s balance between fragility and power / real and fantasy.
The painting Murchison Garden_ is a beautiful piece. The didactic panel stated it was a pivotal piece of harmony and diversity, mimicking the Garden of Eden before the meteorite of alien humanity DNA impacted earth. Asking viewers “Will the meteorite destroy the natural world or will we find a way to save it?” To me it did not visually fit with the futuristic light, sound and sculptural work surrounding it. It felt more like an afterthought hanging in the stairwell.
Our Conclusion- Go or No?
Are We The Aliens_ … a great question!
Overall, this exhibition connected very well with the “Foreigners Everywhere” theme of the Biennale – hats off to Arne Quinze and SwizzBeatz! As art and nature appreciators, we see how humans are detaching from nature and taking over the earth for consumption needs. Some of the didactics seemed a bit ‘out of this world’ but the thought process, creativity/craftsmanship and support for these artists deserve a standing ovation.
We had not even entered the main Venice Biennale spaces yet, but this was a super special experience and pavilion for me. The solid through-line of theme woven perfectly with the visuals and sound giving viewers a sense of present and future. The immersive installation makes us all really think about our place in the world.
The exhibition is free and open to the public, though you are asked to sign up for a digital ticket onsite. Didactics are easy to spot and read in Italian and English. The informed staff are happy to fill you in or answer any questions you might have.
You can stay as long as you want relaxing in the sonic levitation space. I’d suggest budgeting 30 minutes overall.
Well worth the stop: Five Stars!
5.0 out of 5.0 stars
Remember – there is more art to see than is published on the official Venice Biennale maps, which can already be overwhelming! Take time to wander around, be flexible and leave time to explore along the way.