Artists Criticize Somalia’s First-Ever Venice Biennale Pavilion: ‘This Pavilion Does Not Speak for Us’
Somalia’s first-ever Venice Biennale pavilion has drawn criticism from Somali art organizations and artists who say the project failed to meaningfully consult or include Somalia-based practitioners ahead of the Biennale’s May opening. In a statement posted Monday, the Somali Arts Foundation, Arlo Artspace, Shaneema Banaadir, and Baciid Center objected that the pavilion’s three participating artists—Ayan Farah (Stockholm), Asmaa Jama (Bristol), and Warsan Shire (London)—all work outside Somalia, even though each has ties to the country. The pavilion, titled “SADDEXLEEY,” is jointly curated by Mohamed Mire of Fotografiska in Stockholm and Venice-based project manager Fabio Scrivanti, with Abdirahman Yusuf as commissioner; critics questioned the funding and called it a “private opportunity.” New York–based Somali-born poet and filmmaker Ladan Osman also said she declined an invitation to participate, citing organizers’ refusal to center Somalia-based artists and to remove Scrivanti as co-curator in light of Italy’s colonial history in Somalia; organizers did not immediately respond to ARTnews’s request for comment.
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This story was covered in Restitution Wins, Biennale Battles, and Art World Fallout