Studio Venezia by Xavier Veilhan | France at the 57th Venice Art Biennale

Studio Venezia by Xavier Veilhan | The French Pavilion at the 57th Venice Art Biennale

For the 57th Venice Art Biennale, the French pavilion has been transformed into a sound box: a soundscape enclosed in a wood and fabric shell.
In “Studio Venezia”, the musicians who will come after one another for the entire duration of the Biennale will create musical pieces by using the instruments and the recording studio installed in the pavilion. Therefore, the public, along with listening to music, will be part of an immersive experience and will participate in the musical production process.

“Studio Venezia” has been conceived by Xavier Veilhan (b. 1963) who, from the ’80s to the present – after attending the École Nationale Supérieure des Art Décoratifs in Paris, the Hochschule der Kunste in Berlin, and the Centre Pompidou’s Institute des Hautes Etudes en Arts Plastiques – has created a body of works ranging from painting to sculpture, from installations to performances, from film to photography, with an approach which combines art and design, often including the public as an active component of his works.

The decision to invite artists from different fields to collaborate together, rather than indulging in a solitary creation – is clearly expressed in this work which, along with the artist/designer, involves musicians, sound engineers, software designers, and record producers.

In the project statement about his work for the French Pavilion Veilhan says: “ I imagine an overall environment: an immersive installation that propels visitors to the world of the recording studio and that is inspired by the pioneering work of Kurt Schwitters, the Merzbau (1923-1937). Musicians from all backgrounds are invited to bring this recording studio-sculpture to life, as it becomes home to their creations during the seven months of the Biennale. The pavilion merges visual art and music, with a nod not only to Bauhaus and to the experiments of Black Mountain College but also Doug Aitken’s “Station to Station”.

57th Venice Art Biennale, 2017. French pavilion, installation views, photos © Inexhibit