The 57th Venice Biennale opens to the public on Saturday 13 May and runs until Sunday 26 November 2017. With up to 500,000 international visitors each year, the Venice Biennale is one of the longest-running cultural festivals in the world. The huge exhibition is held every two years at a number of venues across the city. So vast is the Biennale that trying to work out what to see is a daunting task.
IBTimes UK presents a preview of the works on show in some of the 85 national pavilions.
The British pavillon, presenting work Phyllida BarlowAwakening/Getty ImagesPhyllida Barlow poses in the British pavillonAwakening/Getty ImagesThe British pavillon, presenting Phyllida BarlowAwakening/Getty ImagesThe British pavillon, presenting Phyllida BarlowAwakening/Getty ImagesVisitors admire a part of the art piece titled Folly by Phyllida Barlow, in the British pavilionVincenzo Pinto/AFPErwin Wurm poses at the Austrian pavillonAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Austrian pavillon, presenting Brigitte Kowanz and Erwin WurmAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Austrian pavillon, presenting Brigitte Kowanz and Erwin WurmAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Austrian pavilion, presenting Brigitte Kowanz and Erwin WurmAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Austrian pavillon, presenting Brigitte Kowanz and Erwin WurmAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Austrian pavillon, presenting Brigitte Kowanz and Erwin WurmAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Austrian pavillon, presenting Brigitte Kowanz and Erwin WurmAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Australian pavillon, presenting My Horizon by Tracey MoffattAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Australian pavillon, presenting My Horizon by Tracey MoffattAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Australian pavillon, presenting My Horizon by Tracey MoffattAwakening/Getty ImagesThe German pavillon, presenting Anne ImhofAwakening/Getty ImagesAn actress performs in Faust by Anne Imhof, in the German pavilionVincenzo Pinto/AFPFaust by German artist Anne ImhofVincenzo Pinto/AFPImitation of Christ by Italian artist Roberto CuoghiVincenzo Pinto/AFPImitation of Christ by Italian artist Roberto CuoghiVincenzo Pinto/AFPThe Russian pavilion, presenting Theatrum Orbis by Grisha BruskinAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Russian pavilion, presenting Theatrum Orbis by Grisha BruskinAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Russian pavilion, presenting Theatrum Orbis by Grisha BruskinAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Russian pavilion, presenting Theatrum Orbis by Grisha BruskinAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Russian pavilion, presenting Theatrum Orbis by Grisha BruskinAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Russian pavilion, presenting Theatrum Orbis by Grisha BruskinAwakening/Getty ImagesGrisha Bruskin poses at the Russian pavilionAwakening/Getty ImagesThe American pavilion, presenting Tomorrow is Another Day by Mark BradfordAwakening/Getty ImagesMark Bradford speaks about his project Tomorrow Is Another Day, at the American pavilionAwakening/Getty ImagesOracle by Mark Bradford, in the American pavilionAwakening/Getty ImagesThe american pavillon, presenting Tomorrow is Another Day byf Mark BradfordAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Canadian pavillon, presenting Geoffrey FarmerAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Canadian pavilion, presenting Geoffrey FarmerAwakening/Getty ImagesThe French pavilion, presenting Studio Venezia by Xavier VeilhanAwakening/Getty ImagesThe French pavilion, presenting Studio Venezia by Xavier VeilhanAwakening/Getty ImagesThe French pavilion, presenting Studio Venezia by Xavier VeilhanAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Northern Countries pavilionAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Northern Countries pavilionAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Northern Countries pavilion, presenting Siri Aurdal, Nina Canell, Charlotte Johannesson, Jumana Manna, Myllymaeki and Mika TaanilaAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Hungarian pavilion, presenting Peace on Earth by Gyula VárnaiAwakening/Getty ImagesZsolt Petranyi and Gyula Várnai pose in the Hungarian pavilionAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Greek pavillon, presenting Laboratorio di dilemmi by George DrivasAwakening/Getty ImagesCurator Orestis Andreadakis and artist George Drivas pose at the Greek pavilionAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Greek pavillon, presenting Laboratorio di dilemmi by George DrivasAwakening/Getty Images
The Egyptian pavillon, presenting The Mountain by Moataz Mohamed Nasr EldinAwakening/Getty Images
The Romanian pavilion, presenting Apparitions by Geta BratescuAwakening/Getty Images
The Spanish pavillon, presenting ¡Únete! Join us! by Jordi ColomeAwakening/Getty Images
The Finnish pavilion, presenting The Aalto Natives by Erkka Nissinen and Nathaniel MellorsAwakening/Getty Images
Wendelien Van Oldenborgh poses in the Dutch pavilionAwakening/Getty Images
Mario Sagradini poses in the Uruguayan pavilionAwakening/Getty Images
The Polish pavilion, presenting Little Review by Sharon LockhartAwakening/Getty Images
The Belgian pavilion, presenting Dirk BraeckmanAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Belgian pavilion, presenting Dirk BraeckmanAwakening/Getty ImagesLee Wan poses at the Korean pavilionAwakening/Getty ImagesVisitors attend the Korean pavilion, presenting Counterbalance: The Stone and the Mountain by Cody Choi and Lee WanAwakening/Getty ImagesCody Choi poses at the Korean pavilionAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Korean pavilion, presenting Swan Song: Now by Jana ZelibskaAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Korean pavilionAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Korean pavilionAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Korean pavilionAwakening/Getty ImagesVisitors attend at the Japanese pavilion, presenting Turned Upside Down, It's a Forest by Takahiro IwasakiAwakening/Getty ImagesVisitors attend at the Japanese pavilion, presenting Turned Upside Down, It's a Forest by Takahiro IwasakiAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Japanese pavilion, presenting Turned Upside Down, It's a Forest by Takahiro IwasakiAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Japanese pavilion, presenting Turned Upside Down, It's a Forest by Takahiro IwasakiAwakening/Getty ImagesThe Israeli pavilionMarco Secchi/Getty ImagesJesreel Valley in the Dark by Gal Weinstein in the Israeli pavilionMarco Secchi/Getty ImagesEl Al by Gal Weinstein in the Israeli pavilionMarco Secchi/Getty Images
La Biennale di Venezia dates back to 1895, when the first International Art Exhibition was organised. It has become one of the most important international cultural institutions in the world, introducing hundreds of thousands of visitors to the latest developments in contemporary art every two years. The 57th Biennale, directed by Christine Macel, chief curator at the Centre Pompidou, Paris, runs from 13 May to 26 November 2017.
