Opinion / Chiara Rimella
Venetian bind
People in Venice have been calling for the regulation of the way in which private homes can be rented by non-residents for a while. But few would have expected that the legislation would involve curbing exhibition spaces rather than Airbnbs. A recent measure approved by the municipality stipulates that private residences cannot be used as venues for shows that last longer than 180 days (including installation and dismantling). It’s a clear hurdle for any of the satellite exhibitions of the Venice Biennale, which usually run for about six months and are notoriously complicated to set up. And that’s not all: there must also be an interval of one year between exhibitions, meaning that no private-home-turned-venue would be able to run programming for the biennale’s art and architecture events, which take place in alternate years.
This matters for an event like the Venice Biennale: visiting nations that don’t have the luxury of a permanent pavilion in the areas of Giardini and Arsenale often use palazzos outside the official grounds for their exhibitions. At a time when the cultural industry is embattled (the Architecture Biennale itself was cancelled last year due to the pandemic and is now scheduled to open to the public on 22 May), it’s hard to understand the reasoning behind the measure. Perhaps the objective was to shift the exhibition onto its official grounds but this is the wrong event to take issue with here: this is a small city, so there is only so much room for sprawl. This is no Salone del Mobile, where off-site exhibitions have grown to an often overwhelming degree across Milan.
And while this is a blow to Biennale-associated businesses, this resolution is also bad for visitors. Being allowed behind the huge wooden doors of a private palazzo is one of the joys of going to Venice during the show; it’s a chance to see something that usually hides away from one’s grasp. Many of my favourite memories of the Biennale take place on a small balcony just outside of one of the many private opening soirées, looking at the silent calli below. Those moments are memorable because they feel precious and special – and it will be hard to let that go.