Venice Biennale and the Canada Pavilion: Politics of Representation in the Gardens of Art

Founded in 1895, the Venice Biennale is the world’s oldest and arguably most prestigious international art exhibition, gathering artists, curators, and museum and gallery directors from more than one hundred nations to exhibit and discuss contemporary art. Although the Canada pavilion is neither a museum nor a gallery in traditional terms, seminal curatorial and museological practices are in its core. Throughout the years, the Canada pavilion has hosted innumerous exhibitions of several notable Canadian artists under the vision of influential Canadian curators. The pavilion has not only marked the history of Canadian art, but has also functioned as a meaningful encounter point between Canadian and international art - a window through which Canada shows to the world its national artistic and curatorial practices. Considering the significant role of the pavilion in the Canadian art history, this paper examines the pavilion’s impact and relevance to contemporary Canadian art and museology in the international scenery. Through the investigation of the Biennale and the pavilion’s history and development, the study explores issues of governance and management, understanding the pavilion as a national gallery-like structure wrapped in a broader political context. Additionally, the paper analyses the pavilion’s importance not only as window to showcase Canadian art but also national museological practices at an international level