The Venice Biennale is starting, Czech Republic is represented by Stanislav Kolíbal

Venice - Today, the 58th edition of the Biennale opens to the public in Venice, one of the largest and most prestigious exhibitions of contemporary art in the world. As usual, the opening will feature the awarding of the Golden Lion for the best exhibition from exhibiting countries and for the best individual artists. The Czech Republic will be represented by the work of ninety-two-year-old sculptor Stanislav Kolíbal.

The main exhibition of the Biennale, which will run until November 24, has been curated this year by Ralph Rugoff, director of the Hayward Gallery in London. He has chosen the theme of the alleged Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times", a phrase used by British Foreign Secretary Austen Chamberlain in a speech in the 1930s. The phrase is used as a malevolent wish, as "interesting times" refer to periods of conflict, sudden change, and crises, as opposed to the less "interesting" times of peace and prosperity. Through this phrase, Rugoff also brings attention to the theme of fake news and the handling of information in modern times.

The main exhibition will showcase works by 79 artists, but there will be no Czech representative among them. However, the Czech contribution to the Biennale will be on display at the Czechoslovak pavilion in the Giardini di Castello area, which is managed alternately by the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Last year, the jury selected the proposal of one of the most prominent figures in Czech art, Stanislav Kolíbal, from 23 submitted projects, combining his older works with entirely new ones created specifically for this occasion.

The Venice Biennale attracts more than half a million visitors every two years. The first edition took place in 1895, and former Czechoslovakia began participating in the exhibition in 1920. Two years ago, Slovak artist Jana Želibská exhibited in the Czechoslovak pavilion, which was built in 1926, while in 2015, Jiří David represented the Czech Republic.