“By delving into the challenges of global migration and the intricate web of national identities, Personal Structures emerges as a vital artistic dialogue, transcending borders and reflecting the complexities of our highly interconnected world.” This is how Sara Danieli, Head of Art of ECC Italy, describes the seventh edition of Personal Structures. The biennial art exhibition, organized by the European Cultural Center Italy (ECC) based in Venice, will welcome visitors from 20 April to 24 November 2024 in the historic venues of Palazzo Bembo, Palazzo Mora and Giardini della Marinaressa.

Taking note of the complex dynamics that characterize our global society, Beyond Boundaries has been chosen as the guiding title of Personal Structures 2024. The collective exhibition will present itself not only as an exhibition, but also as a journey across multiple geographical, political, religious, cultural and artistic. While some physical and conceptual limits can mean comfort and safety – such as our bodies, the walls of our houses, the lines of the streets – the exhibition aims to shift these constraints, to investigate what lies beyond in order to observe it from a of a different point of view.

Bringing together more than 200 multidisciplinary artists and creatives from 51 different countries, Personal Structures aims to provide a rich array of perspectives on the pressing challenges of our time. International artists, photographers, sculptors and performers of established and emerging fame will be the protagonists of this year's collective exhibition. They will be joined by artistic institutions, academics and galleries who will articulate their visions, reflections and responses to the multifaceted challenges of contemporary society.

Participants explore their cultural backgrounds, revealing a breadth of approaches to national and cultural identity. Yoko Ono , in parallel with her current exhibition at the Tate Modern, presents an intriguing work at the Giardini della Marinaressa that looks to the present, imagining and alluding to a utopian world at peace. Strengthening a collaboration that began in 2022, the Palestine Museum US presents Foreigners in their Homeland at Palazzo Mora, an exhibition curated by Faisal Saleh that embraces a selection of Palestinian artists. The site-specific installation Rroma Lepanto , at Palazzo Bembo, focuses on the contemporary art of the Sinti and Roma communities, bringing together several artists curated by the Kai Dikhas Foundation .

The exhibition also highlights indigenous cultures and features a diverse selection of artists from Asia, including countries such as Taiwan, Japan and China, as well as artists and galleries from the Global South, such as the Philippines, Seychelles, Colombia, Argentina, Nigeria and India. David Middlebrook , with The Return , offers a tribute to Native American culture and its ancient connection with Asia by displaying a life-size birch bark canoe.

With the installation The Rhapsode's tools will build the Rhapsode's House , the artist Areez Katki exhibits 9 decorative tiles made of kaolin clay found in the family courtyard in New Zealand (Aotearoa), to create a delicate portrait of the grandmother, along with 17 embroidered handkerchiefs that correspond to the 17 Ha of the Gathas of Zarathushtra. Te Wepu MMXXIII by Robert Jahnke instead offers a tribute to the Māori prophet Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Tūruki (1830-1893). Its neon lights in the shapes of crescent moon, cross, mountain, bleeding heart and star, whose colors allude to the Union Jack, are invested with new meaning to reinvigorate the symbols of resistance within the neo-colonial present.

Karima Mohamed Abdelaziz instead uses art as a means to narrate her Emirati heritage: she reinterprets specific meanings referring to women's clothes, jewelery and accessories, shedding light on the nuances of the sumptuous rituals of women's fashion and paying homage to the recognized symbols linked to tradition, such as that of the burqa. A look at the concept of identity through the lens of gender is offered by the group of female artists presented by curator Destinee Ross-Sutton in Unapologetic WomXn . One of the iconic rooms of Palazzo Bembo is transformed to investigate the theme of female sexuality, the artists on display observe their own bodies and experiences, exploring how women navigate the world and its sudden changes.

Drawing from both Eastern and Western philosophy, from the human sciences to cosmogenesis and phenomenology, the artist Shen Chang Ming channels the ostentatiously romantic aspects of life towards rational balance. His paintings translate into abstract landscapes composed of colored dots, lines and kanji, which help him overcome his personal experiences of loss and separation through religion and rationality, creating a language that becomes universal. At Palazzo Bembo, Elizabeth Heyert 's intimate photographs speak of loss and mourning: the artist explores spirituality and the afterlife by capturing, as an external observer, the bodies of more than thirty citizens belonging to the community led by Isaiah Owens.

Also noteworthy is the photographer Sandra Cattaneo Adorno who, in her exhibition Ten Years , explores different layers of the in/visible world, using the inverted image to symbolically explore negative space. Micky Hoogendijk , in a union between classical and contemporary symbolism, evokes immersive encounters through his four-meter bronze sculpture, where the observer merges with it, guided by sight and above all by an intimate and emotional connection.

Palazzo Mora becomes the stage for a compelling dialogue between Hermann Nitsch , famous for his visceral creations, and Miles Greenberg , known for his daring performances. Taking inspiration from the Viennese Actionist painter, Greenberg presents for the first time a still from Fountain I , his seven-hour work, which is exhibited together with Nitsch's work Schüttbild mit Hemd (Kreuzwegstation) (“ Container image with shirt [Station of the Cross]”), an integration of one of his pieces entitled Malhemd (“shirt”).

Various installations instead bring attention to the issues of climate change, greenwashing and sustainability. Acclaimed British sculptor Emily Young presents a series of sculptures at the Giardini della Marinaressa and Palazzo Mora that provide a remarkable and exciting example of the use of stones she collects from abandoned quarries, stone courtyards and wild places. Faiza Butt embraces the pressing issue of climate anxiety and reworks it in an aesthetically rich and poetic way. The artist exhibits a series of large and elaborate oil paintings inspired by the 'Menagerie' tradition of the Dutch Golden Age, scenes of paradise contaminated by traces of human materialism, which pollutes the purity of nature.

Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of research and education through installations presented by University of the Arts Bremen (Germany), Deakin University (Australia), Princeton University (USA), University of Southern California (USA), and Joshibi University of Art and Design (Japan). A selection of works by students and academics exhibited between Palazzo Bembo and Palazzo Mora, which look at the role that the University should take on in the next generations and address Venice's dilemma with an artistic project linked to the city itself.

The collective encourages visitors to experience a wide range of artistic narratives that challenge preconceptions and invite contemplation. Through paintings, sculptures, installations and performances, artists navigate today's intricate global landscape, offering insights that extend beyond conventional paths and open up new conversations.

Personal Structures 2024 becomes a celebration of diversity, showcasing the beauty that arises from the interaction between different perspectives.