Paper short abstract:

The aim of this paper is to discuss how curatorial choices of African pavilions at Venice Biennale in the last ten years are often the result of political stances and economic influences, which question art's autonomy and turn it into a battlefield of power plays.

Paper long abstract:

In 2007, the African Pavillion Check List Luanda Pop at the Venice Biennale was saluted as the «First African Pavillion» of the world-renowned artistic kermesse. This attribution of an alleged exceptionality, however, is controversial and denies a longer lasting history of participation of African countries to the Venetian exhibition. This includes both Sub-Saharan ones (e.g. Kenya in 2003, South Africa in 1993 and 1995, Ivory Coast and Senegal in 1993) and North-African ones (Egypt is a constant presence at least since 1993 and Morocco since 2005), both as national participations and in the form of collective projects (e.g. the section Fault Lines of contemporary African arts at the Biennale 2003). An explanation for such a statement may lie in the personality of the producer and organizer of the 2007 African Pavillion, Sindika Dokolo, the Congolese-Angolan businessman who is owner of the «first African private collection of contemporary art» and since 2002 financially supports artistic exhibitions and works in Angola. Through the close analysis not only of the exhibited works, but also of other materials such as press releases, advertisement cards, curators' declarations, brochures accompanying the exhibitions and catalogues, the aim of this paper is to discuss how curatorial choices are often the result of political stances and economic influences, which question art's autonomy and turn it into a battlefield of power plays.