Martin Boyce – Venice Biennale

About This Project

The Venice Biennale is the world’s largest and most prestigious international showcase for contemporary visual arts.  In 2009 Martin Boyce represented Scotland at the biennale.  Curated by Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA), No Reflections was commissioned by Scotland and Venice, a partnership between the Scottish Arts Council, National Galleries of Scotland and the British Council Scotland, and builds on the critical success of previous projects which have promoted artists including Turner Prize winner Simon Starling and Turner Prize nominees, Cathy Wilkes and Jim Lambie, artists with which we have also worked.

Martin Boyce’s lyrical installation of this commissioned work was installed in seven interconnected rooms in a 15th century Venetian Palazzo introducing into the fading grandeur of the palace groupings of works – suspended aluminum trees, scattered wax paper leaves, raised stepping stones, a wooden bird box, tables, and benches.  With narrow entrances, canals, and questions of load-bearing for the stepping stones and other works in the historical palazzo, logistics in fabrication method and installation were paramount to the successful execution of this monumental exhibition.