•  
  •  
 

Abstract

This exhibition review reflects on the spatial and curatorial concepts, interior spatial qualities, and precedent design processes of SupaVenezia, which was held at the A plus A Gallery in Venice from 31 August to 25 September 2022. It examines the design of the display system at the exhibition while addressing issues pertaining to domestic, participatory, and white-cube settings. The review explores the intersection of art, commerce, spatial, and displays design dynamics in relation to the manifestation of the SupaStore’s initial curatorial philosophy. Additionally, it reflects on the variety of spatial experiences provided and the manner in which a small-scale local gallery behaves and survives in the shadows of a monumental event—the 59th International Art Exhibition of Biennale Arte 2022, curated by Cecilia Alemani and produced by La Biennale di Venezia 2022—while drawing comparative reflections with similar scenarios such as Berlin Biennale and Documenta in Kassel.

Publication Date

1-29-2024

References

A plus A. (2015). Rob Pruitt's flea market in Venice. https://aplusa.it/exhibitions/rob-pruitts-fleamarket-in-venice/

A plus A. (2022). SupaVenezia—Sarah Staton. https://aplusa.it/exhibitions/supavenezia-sarah-staton/

Atmodiwirjo, P., & Yatmo, Y. A. (2019). Interiority in everyday space: A dialogue between materiality and occupation. Interiority, 2(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.7454/in.v2i1.56

Benjamin, W. (1969). The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction. In H. Arendt (Ed.), Illuminations: Essays and reflections (H. Zohn, Trans.) (pp. 217–252). Schocken Book. (Original work published 1935)

Böhme, G. (1993). Atmosphere as the fundamental concept of a new aesthetics. Thesis Eleven, 36(1), 113–126. https://doi.org/10.1177/072551369303600107

Filippides, E. (2019). Self storage: A contemporary archaeology of domestic interiority. Interiority, 2(1), 5–23. https://doi.org/10.7454/in.v2i1.50

La Biennale di Venezia. (2023). The 59th International Art Exhibition in numbers.https://www.labiennale.org/en/news/59th-international-art-exhibition-numbers

Mee, S. J. (2022). Critical intervention, art as protest: Locating SupaStore in resistance to the art market. In SupaVenezia [Exhibition catalogue]. Exhibited in A plus A, Venice, 2022.

O'Doherty, B. (1999). Inside the white cube: The ideology of the gallery space. The Lapis Press.

Patel, S. A. (2020). Resisting biennialisation: Institutional and community responses to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. ONCURATING, 46, 52–58. https://www.on-curating.org/issue-46-reader/resisting-biennialisation-institutional-and-community-responses-to-the-kochi-muziris-biennale.html

Patel, S. A., Manghani, S., & D'Souza, R. E. (2018). Extracts from how to biennale! (The manual). ONCURATING, 39, 9–14. https://www.on-curating.org/issue-39-reader/introduction.html

Raees, G. (2022). Curatorial abstract: The brand of Venice. In SupaVenezia [Exhibition catalogue]. Exhibited in A plus A, Venice, 2022.

School for Curatorial Studies Venice. (n.d.). SupaVenezia. https://www.corsocuratori.com/

Submitted Date

2023-08-27

Accepted Date

2024-01-02

First Page

25

Last Page

40

Authors' Bio

Ayman Kassem
a.kassem@ajman.ac.ae
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5272-9288

Ayman Kassem is an interior architect and PhD. He studied at the Lebanese University and did his doctoral studies at Politecnico di Milano. He is currently an assistant professor at the Department of Interior Design, Ajman University, UAE. His fields of interest and research include: coworking spaces, exhibition design, museums, flexible interiors, performative spaces, and performance theories. He took part in the EU COST Action research project: The Geography of New Working Spaces.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Author(s) retain the copyright of articles published in this journal, with first publication rights granted to Interiority.

Share

COinS