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[Exclusive Photos] The 'World’s Most Important Art Exhibition,' a Film About the Venice Biennale

Take a look inside 'Behind the Biennale: A Short History of the World’s Most Important Art Exhibition,' from Artsy, UBS, and director Oscar Boyson.
Behind the scenes photos courtesy of Kevin Phillips

Behind the Biennale: A Short History of the World’s Most Important Art Exhibition from Artsy on Vimeo.

Ever wondered what actually happens at the Venice Biennale?

For those of us who won't be visiting the sinking city starting this week, and instead will be following the story via the web, here's a short that demystifies the international event by presenting its short history and an insider’s look into the international art festival.

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Launching it yesterday, Artsy, in collaboration with UBS, have created Behind the Biennale: A Short History of the World’s Most Important Art Exhibition, a lighthearted film that “pulls back the curtain on the event’s reach, extending beyond art and into politics and history at large.”

It begins with a fast-paced narrator who takes the viewer through the history of the Venice Biennale, which dates back to 1895. Interspersed with interviews from Alanna Heiss, founder of MoMA PS1, to Roselee Goldberg, the founder and director of Performa, to curators of this year’s Kosovo Pavillion, Dutch Pavilion, and past Biennales, artists Tom Sachs, Sarah Sze, and one of this year’s Venice Biennale exhibitors, Adam Pendleton, each add in their personal anecdotes on the festival, alongside important facts about the event. This year, for instance, 53 international artists will show their works to an estimated 370,000 visitors.

The Creators Project got exclusive behind-the-scenes photos from the making of Behind the Biennale from the film's director, Oscar Boyson. Watch it above and check out some snapshots from Venice below:

Director Oscar Boyson

Behind the Biennale: A Short History of the World’s Most Important Art Exhibition is the first of a series of short film collaborations between Artsy and UBS that covers the Venice Biennale. It was directed by Oscar Boyson, while the following films, which will be released over the course of the summer, are directed by Poppy de Villeneuve.

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