Per una ‘Mostra Coloniale’ alla Biennale di Venezia
Desideri, speranze e ideologie impossibili
Abstract
The geographic and colonial institutions established in Italy between 1860 and 1880, tasked with exploring the Mediterranean and African regions, played a decisive role in shaping colonial imagery and reinforcing the notion of an apparent national identity. Colonial exhibitions were the sector most profoundly influenced: displaying objects and artefacts, these exhibitions provided an opportunity to construct a historical identity. Beginning with the First International Exhibition of Colonial Art in Rome in 1931, numerous subsequent exhibitions aimed to disseminate colonial ideology through artworks. The Venice Biennale managed to maintain a certain degree of autonomy, rejecting several proposals to showcase colonial art between 1928 and 1934. However, the intense and relentless fascist propaganda prevalent before and during the Ethiopian war facilitated the inclusion of colonial art in the Venice Biennale, beginning with the 1936 edition.
Presentato: 25 Novembre 2024 | Accettato: 13 Febbraio 2025 | Pubblicato 24 Luglio 2025 | Lingua: it
Keywords Italian Colonialism • Venice Biennale • Colonialism • Colonial art
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Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-910-8/007