Collateral event of the 59th International Art Exhibition The Milk of Dreams – La Biennale di Venezia

On the occasion of the Art Biennale 2022, Fondazione dell’Albero d’Oro will present a new project by Mexican artist Bosco Sodi at Palazzo Vendramin Grimani, located on the Grand Canal in the center of Venice, Italy from 23 April until 27 November 2022. Curated by Daniela Ferretti and Dakin Hart, the solo exhibition dedicated to Sodi’s painting and sculpture titled Bosco Sodi a Palazzo Vendramin Grimani What Goes Around Comes Around will be preceded by a period of residency by the artist on site at the palazzo. 

 In the installation for Palazzo Vendramin Grimani, visitors will witness an abrupt reversal of the ancient flow of trade between Europe and the Americas. The opulent interiors of mercantile residences such as Palazzo Vendramin Grimani preserve the memory of what was, historically, a one-way flow of materials: Sodi's temporary occupation of the palace's walls and floors with works closely linked to the material instinct that produced them will therefore lead to a kind of 'revenge' of the raw. 

Bosco Sodi (b. 1970) is celebrated internationally for his use of raw, natural materials in large-scale textured paintings and sculpture that brim with emotive power. The essential simplicity of his materials and the vivid pigments he sources from around the globe are the focus of his process-based exploration of the creative gesture. Sodi has described his creative process as a “controlled chaos” that makes “something that is completely unrepeatable.”The careful selection and use of precious pigments is one of the characteristics of Sodi’s art: some of them have a rich historical background. Among those, the pigment derived from cochineal is a fitting example. Before the invention of synthetic pigments, the colour obtained from cochineal was the international standard for red. The luxurious red fabrics that dot Titian’s canvases are, quite literally, appropriations from the Americas. Cochineal, which is still produced in Oaxaca (Mexico), has recently seen an increase in demand, thanks to the growing demand for natural pigments.

In the installation for Palazzo Vendramin Grimani, visitors will witness an abrupt reversal of that ancient flow of trade between Europe and the Americas. The opulent interiors of merchant houses like Palazzo Vendramin Grimani preserve the memory of what was, historically, a one-way flow of materials. Sodi’s temporary occupation of the palazzo’s walls and floors with works closely linked to the material instinct that produces them will lead to a sort of ‘revenge’ of all that is raw, unprocessed.