The Milk of Dreams: Il Latte Dei Sogni by As part of the work assigned to this 4th year course, the students were asked to select a Venice Biennale national pavilion that featured non-White artists or a pavilion that was not located in the global north. The group work was divided into two sections: a) group presentation and b) the compilation of a reading resource website with recommended readings and media. Students were also asked to research what the Venice Biennale was, its history and contemporary status. They were also asked to critique the Biennale and to apply some of the ideas that have been raised in the readings we explored in the first part of the term eg. the art history canon, land acknowledgements, colonialism, diaspora, migration, identity, authenticity, essentialism, exclusion, Whiteness, privilege, repatriation, capitalism, accessibility, timelines. The selection of the national pavilions was up to the individual group and the objectives were to introduce the history, art scene, culture and contemporary artists from countries that are not usually featured or discussed in our art curriculum and scholarship. The pavilion selections mostly challenge our eurocentric stereotypes and hegemonic expectations of what “Art” is - and where it is usually located. The websites are fully researched, curated and constructed by the students.
Below is a link to the students' web projects that feature helpful resources on the history, culture, and contemporary art scene of Nepal, Mongolia, Tunisia, Lebanon, Egypt, Ghana, and the US. Please note that the document is only available to view by members of the Alberta University of the Arts community (students, staff and faculty).