The theme of this year’s Venice biennale, which runs until November, is ‘Foreigners Everywhere’. As a result there is a huge emphasis on immigrant artists and their stories. This was evident in several pavilions displaying indigenous (who may now feel like strangers in their own land), foreign or ethnic heritage artists.
Most of the national pavilions are in the Giardini – one of the two main locations, the other being the Arsenale – to see the exhibits, but there are free installations and exhibits all over Venice. It’s a great opportunity to see the hidden side of the city, the parts you wouldn’t normally visit. The price has gone up since 2022, from 25 to 30€ for one day in each main site. Buy the ticket online to avoid queues. Each site opens at 11am. Get there early if you are in Venice for a short time. It takes me around five hours to see each; this way you’ll have some time to visit more of the city. After most of the day at the Arsenale, I took a series of boats to get to Burano, the island with coloured houses.