48th Venice Biennial 1999 10.June 1999
«Venise d'hier, Venise d'aujourd'hui»- “The Story of the Lion“
In 1999, curator Stephan Köhler invited Georges Adéagbo to create a one day only installation in front of the entrance to the marine on the Campo del Arsenale in Venice. Initially planned as an independent collateral event during the preview days of the 48th Venice Biennial, its artistic director Harald Szeemann decided last minute to include the project as an official contribution to his exhibition called “D’apertutto” (open in all directions). Adéagbo had photos of the Campo reproduced as paintings in Benin, added images and documents about the history of Venice’s marine dominating trade in the Mediterranean. He put a spot light on Venice looting art works from Greece and Cyprus, by having one of the four marble lions on the square carved in Benin and placing it in front of his Italian big brother. The opening speech was given by the late Johannes Gachnang, a Swiss artist , publisher and curator.
The jury of the 48th Biennale awarded Adéagbo an honorary mention for this 1-day only intervention in public space. Collection of the artist.
The artists’ book editor Clemens-Tobias Lange invited Adéagbo to create a special edition about his intervention for CTL Press. The Story of the Lion – Franchement was the name of the flexible book with reproductions of photos of the installation on strips ..paper from Japan.
Available on: ctl-presse.de
"Yesterday's Venice, today's Venice" The Story of the Lion" was curated and produced by Stephan Köhler, who had met Adéagbo just half a year before at the São Paulo Biennial in 1998. Collection of the artist.
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