Scotland to pause involvement with Venice Biennale art exhibition

A sculpture by Barbadian-Scottish artist, Alberta Whittle, was among works presented at last year's Biennale

Scotland is to pause its involvement in the world's oldest and most prestigious art exhibition, the Venice Biennale.

The event, which has been running since 1895, alternates between art and architecture.

Scottish involvement in this year's architecture showcase will go ahead as planned.

But the search for Scotland-based artists to take part in the 2024 event has been halted while a review is carried out.

The Scotland and Venice programme is a partnership involving Creative Scotland, the British Council, National Galleries of Scotland, Architecture & Design Scotland, V&A Dundee and the Scottish government.

A spokesman said that in "the present financial and planning environment" it was necessary to "review the current model of delivery".

He said the partnership had to consider the project's position "within the wider scope of international opportunities available to Scotland's art and architecture communities".

He added: "This has been a difficult decision to make, especially given the project's significant achievements over the last twenty years.

"The decision also acknowledges the impact that the project has on the environment, and the need to consider how it can be delivered more ethically and sustainably into the future."

Scotland has been staging events at the Venice Biennale since 2003.

Part of the reasoning was that the British pavilion was not able to showcase the vast amount of Scottish and Scotland-based artists on the contemporary art scene.

Although Scotland does not have its own pavilion, it has staged a number of "collateral" shows on the fringes of the main sites.

Turner Prize-winning artist Charlotte Prodger is among those to have represented Scotland at Venice Biennale

Among those who have represented Scotland in recent years are Charlotte Prodger, who won the Turner Prize in 2018 and said she wouldn't have had an art career without publicly-funded education and gallery support in Scotland.

Two works presented at last year's Biennale by Barbadian-Scottish artist,Alberta Whittle have just been acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland.

The sculpture Entanglement is more than blood (2022), which was co-created by Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh, and Lagareh - The Last Born (2022), will be part of a new free exhibition which opens this weekend.

"As a kid on school trips, we often went to museums and I was mesmerised, but I also found myself searching for images and artworks that reflected my family, my history and my experiences," said Ms Whittle.

"These acquisitions by National Galleries of Scotland have made me feel optimistic about how conversations are changing, and how my work may bring in new young artists who are searching for something that inspires them to think differently."

The Scotland and Venice partnership insists it will not be withdrawing from Venice Biennale but said it would need to find a new model for presenting work there.

Over the next few months, the partnership intends to consult with the sector and begin a review process.