01 May 2019
From May 8, Dane Mitchell’s multi-site artwork Post hoc will broadcast lists of millions of disappeared or bygone things across Venice from the New Zealand Pavilion for the 58th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, the world’s largest contemporary art exhibition.
Five locations across the Italian city together comprise Post hoc which can be thought of as a sonic and sculptural network. The New Zealand Pavilion, housed in the Palazzina Canonica – the former headquarters of exhibition partner the Istituto di Scienze Marine (CNR-ISMAR) – will serve as the hub for Post hoc. Other installations will be located at the Parco Rimembranze at Sant’Elena (Park of Remembrance), the Università luav di Venezia (The Architecture School), the Ospedale Civile di Venezia (the hospital), and the Internal Garden of the North Arsenale, Arsenale di Venezia.
Chairman of the Arts Council of New Zealand, Michael Moynahan, says Dane Mitchell is well known for his innovative and challenging work.
“Dane’s response to ‘space’ has pushed the boundaries of what’s expected of an exhibition at the Biennale Arte – continuing our reputation of being an innovative country with a great diversity of arts practice,” he said.
“I would like to acknowledge the support and hard work of the team who have been helping Dane pull together this ambitious artwork, and pass on our gratitude to the local partners who have come on-board to support this unique presentation.”
At the New Zealand pavilion Mitchell has installed an anechoic, or echo-free, chamber, to transmit his broadcast of millions of disappeared and invisible things that have been researched over the last two years – from lists of known black holes, disappeared sounds and extinct birds to former national anthems. The electronic voice uttering each item on the lists will be transmitted to cell towers disguised as pine trees located at each site. All those who visit the trees will be able to hear the voice or stream the lists on a handheld device when within the field of transmission.
Post hoc’s automated incantations are also transformed into material form as, in sync with the broadcast, word by word the names of the bygone phenomena are printed onto rolls of paper inside the historic, empty library of the Palazzina Canonica, gradually and allusively filling its space.
According to Lead Curator, Zara Stanhope, the inventory of missing things is so large that Post hoc never repeats the items it broadcasts throughout the entire duration of the Biennale.
“To hear all of them you would need to listen to over 24,000 words per day, for eight hours every day, over the seven months of the exhibition,” she said.
“Post hoc uses the act of speech to call up this staggering accretion of loss, making it part of our present moment.”
Post hoc has been commissioned by the Arts Council of New Zealand for its 9th national presentation at the La Biennale di Venezia. New Zealand at Venice is grateful for the support of its generous patrons, partners and sponsors. New Zealand’s arts development agency, Creative New Zealand, funds and manages New Zealand’s presence at the Biennale Arte 2019 and the New Zealand at Venice patrons generously contribute towards the presentation. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is a key partner once more. We are grateful for their long-term commitment to supporting New Zealand’s presence at the biennale.
Post hoc will be open for preview on May 8 and the public will be able to view the work, and the rest of the Biennale from May 11 to November 24, 2019.
Media enquiries
For all media inquiries in New Zealand and Australia, please contact Lauretta Ah Sam at Creative New Zealand:
- Email: lauretta.ahsam@creativenz.govt.nz / Mob: +64 27 292 1589 | DDI: +64 4 498 0725
For all media enquiries in Europe please contact Elizabeth Flanagan or Lizzie Rowles at Flint:
- Email: elizabeth.flanagan@flint-culture.com / Phone: +44 (0) 203 470 2095
- Email: lizzie.rowles@flint-culture.com / Phone: +44 (0) 203 463 2083
Key dates and information
8 – 10 May: Pre-opening Week (Vernissage) – Biennale Arte 2019
8 May: New Zealand Pavilion Press Preview: 1 - 2pm
For images and caption details, go to Dropbox
For further information, go to www.nzatvenice.com or www.labiennale.org
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Notes to editors
Artist: Dane Mitchell
Exhibition title: Post hoc
Commissioner: Dame Jenny Gibbs
Curators: Lead Curator, Dr Zara Stanhope (NZ/Australia) and Project Curator, Chris Sharp (United States/Mexico)
Venue: Palazzina Canonica, former headquarters of the Institute of Marine Sciences of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-ISMAR)
About New Zealand at the International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
New Zealand has exhibited at the International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia since 2001. Creative New Zealand funds and manages New Zealand’s presence at the International Art Exhibitions, with support from patrons, partners and sponsors. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is a key partner. For further information visit to www.nzatvenice.com or www.labiennale.org
About the Artist: Dane Mitchell (Aotearoa New Zealand)
Dane Mitchell’s practice is concerned with physical reality in its intersection with the intangible and visible manifestations of other dimensions. His work teases out the potential for objects and ideas to be present, evoking a connection between the sensual and the conscious. Mitchell’s practice speculates on our understanding of the material world and explores experiences of systems of knowledge or belief. Mitchell has held 30 solo exhibitions and participated in more than 50 group exhibitions. He has presented solo exhibitions in institutions in New Zealand, France, Germany, Brazil, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Australia and the United States. He has also participated in a number of biennales, including Biennale of Sydney 2016; Gwangju Biennale 2012; Liverpool Biennial 2012; Singapore Biennale 2011; Ljubljana Biennale 2011; Busan Biennale 2010 and the Tarrawara Biennial 2008.
About the Curators
Lead Curator: Dr Zara Stanhope (NZ/Australia)
Zara Stanhope has 20 years’ curatorial experience in lead roles in art institutions in New Zealand and Australia. She is the Curatorial Manager, Asian and Pacific Art at Australia’s Queensland Art Gallery|Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA). Her curatorial practice spans over 70 curated and co-curated exhibitions and she is widely published in books and catalogues.
Project Curator: Chris Sharp (United States/Mexico)
Chris Sharp is a writer and independent curator based in Mexico City, where he co-runs the project space Lulu. He has curated a multitude of international exhibitions and contributed essays to many catalogues. Formerly news editor at Flash Art International and editor-at-large of Kaleidoscope, he is a contributing editor of Art Review and of Art-Agenda.
About the Istituto di Scienze Marine (Institute of Marine Science)
The Istituto di Scienze Marine del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-ISMAR) is a research institution. It conducts research in the field of marine sciences across polar, oceanic, and Mediterranean regions. The institute is part of the Italian National Research Council (CNR), a public organisation committed to carry out, promote, spread, transfer, and improve research activities in knowledge growth for the scientific, technological, economic, and social development of the country. It will be the first time the institute has partnered with a National Pavilion at the International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Its focus on the marine world – including the risks it currently faces – forms the basis for a shared interest.
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