Female artists dominate the Venice Biennale for 1st time

By COLLEEN BARRY
Associated Press

VENICE, Italy (AP) — For the first time in the 127-year history of the Venice Biennale, the world’s oldest and most important contemporary art fair features a majority of female and gender non-conforming artists, under the curatorial direction of Cecilia Alemani.   The result is a Biennale contemporary art fair that puts the spotlight on artists who have been long overlooked despite prolific careers, while also investigating themes including gender norms, colonialism and climate change.  Alemani’s main show, titled “The Milk of Dreams,” alongside 80 national pavilions opens Saturday, after a one-year pandemic delay. The art fair runs through Nov. 27.  It is only the fourth of the Biennale’s 59 editions under female curation.