The central event of the Biennale is the International Art Exhibition, which showcases contemporary artworks by artists from around the globe. This year's edition, titled "Stranieri Ovunque - Foreigners Everywhere," is organized by renowned Brazilian curator Adriano Pedrosa and features two main sections: the Nucleo Contemporaneo and the Nucleo Storico. As explained by Pedrosa: "The expression Foreigners Everywhere has several meanings. First of all, that wherever you go and wherever you are you will always encounter foreigners—they/we are everywhere. Secondly, that no matter where you find yourself, you are always truly, and deep down inside, a foreigner. In addition, the expression takes on a very particular, site-specific meaning in Venice," a city "whose population today consists of about 50,000 residents that may reach 165,000 in a single day during peak seasons due to the enormous number of tourists and travelers—foreigners of a privileged kind."

The exhibition prioritizes artists new to the event, with a focus on outdoor projects and performances. The Nucleo Contemporaneo explores themes of queerness, outsider art, and indigenous perspectives, including a special section on the Disobedience Archive, a video archive focusing on the relationships between artistic practices and activism. The Nucleo Storico showcases works from 20th-century Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, challenging traditional definitions of modernism. Additionally, the exhibition highlights the role of textiles and the intergenerational transmission of artistic practices. In the Central Pavilion three rooms are planned for the Nucleo Storico: one room is titled Portraits, one Abstractions and the third one is devoted to the the worldwide Italian artistic diaspora in the 20th century.

Overall, the Biennale 2024’s primary focus is thus artists who are themselves foreigners, immigrants, expatriates, diasporic, émigrés, exiled, or refugees—particularly those who have moved between the Global South and the Global North. Migration and decolonization are key themes.

In addition to the main exhibition, the Biennale also features national pavilions, which is one of the most intriguing aspects of the Venice Biennale. Participating countries offer a unique glimpse into their respective artistic landscapes, with exhibitions fully curated by their own specialists, although sometimes influenced by the general theme of the whole fair. This adds to the symphony of cultural voices in Venice. Whether countries choose to put forward an overview of an individual artist’s trajectory, or a compilation of their nation’s contemporary culture, these historical pavilions serve as showcases for the cultural diversity and artistic prowess of nations around the world. For some, this is perhaps the most compelling aspect of the Venice Biennale: its ability to spark dialogue and foster understanding across cultures and continents. By simply walking around the beautiful parks of Giardini, visitors are able to easily go in and out of historical buildings which all represent different countries. It feels like walking through a world map in which art opens the borders of all societies—and the buildings themselves constitute true architectural gems. In an era marked by division and discord, they can serve as beacons of hope, a reminder of our shared humanity and interconnectedness. Visitors are invited to embark on a journey of discovery, to open their minds and hearts to new ideas and experiences.

Of particular interest this year is the Armenian Pavilion. One of our gallery artists, Nina Khemchyan, who has shown at the gallery for over 25 years, is representing Armenia with a solo multi-media installation called Echo. Nina's work is deeply rooted in Armenian medieval heritage, endangered today, and transcends geographical and temporal boundaries to address universal themes of identity, memory, and belonging, and the show is curated to be in dialogue with the broader theme of this year's Biennale: Foreigners Everywhere. At the heart of the pavilion lies a striking array of eleven blue ceramic spheres, meticulously crafted to embody a profound cultural legacy. Adorned with intricate golden incrustations, these sculptures pay homage to the wisdom of Mesrop Mashtots, the figure credited with inventing the Armenian alphabet, referencing eleven chants of repentance. In addition to these sculptures, a fifty-meter-long ink drawing called Seven Deadly Sins is the second focal point of the show. Divided into seven segments, each dedicated to a sin, the artwork employs a stark contrast of black ink against white paper, which not only enhances the graphic impact but also symbolizes the dichotomy between virtue and vice embodied in the notion of sin.

Due in part to the proliferation of more and more art fairs and biennales across the globe, the significance of the Venice Biennale has been sometimes contested. Critics blame the usual vagueness of the themes, or the so-called anachronistic national pavilions, arguing that more than uniting together what they achieve is to further separate nations. However, visitors—specialists and aficionados alike— keep flooding in. The 2022 edition, curated by Cecilia Alemani and titled The Milk of Dreams, amounted for more than 800,000 visitors. Why? There are many reasons. With no singular curatorial authority, every visit can bring fresh findings; there is a sense of perpetual discoveries, and for certain artists a showcase in Venice can prove pivotal to their careers. In addition to the primary exhibition and national pavilions, which leverage financial support from art dealers, there are a series of collateral events, which receive funding from commercial galleries that don't miss the opportunity to profit from such a reunion. Hence, Venice has become a bustling hub for marketing and sales—a transformation that arguably predates contemporary times. Until 1968, the Biennale operated a sales office, retaining a commission from artwork sales. Often dubbed "the art world Olympics," Venice holds significance as a congregating point for the art world, blending historical grandeur, its glamour and the scenic backdrop of one of the world's most stunning cities with towering potential and substantial financial stakes. For one week in Spring, the global art community's collective gaze is fixed upon this eclectic gathering.