Renata Morales and Marina Abramović

Phi, a cultural organisation based in Montreal, joins the cultural landscape of the Venice Biennale with the immersive work of two female artists, Renata Morales and Marina Abramović.

The exhibition includes a mixed media installation entitled “Invasor” by Mexican artist Renata Morales and Rising, a virtual reality piece by Marina Abramović called “Rising” which explores the effects of climate change and ascending sea levels.
“Invasor” is the culmination of a two year residency with Phi. The exhibition installed across two grand palazzo galleries is filled with ceramic sculptures of female figures, animals, dinosaurs and strange chimeric beasts. These are set amidst leftover objects and debris transported from José Noé Suro’s ceramics studio, Cerámica Suro in Guadalajara, Mexico where Morales has been fabricating her works. Suro’s passion for art and fostering international collaboration facilitated the realisation of Morales’ vision for Venice. An installation of 70 used tyres painted in glossy candy shades and huge self-portraits printed on distressed textiles creates a dystopian universe of opposites. Morales’ composite figures of assembled media challenge our perceptions of texture, touch, beauty, solace and violence. “Rising” by Marina Abramović addresses the effects of climate changes by transporting viewers to witness rising sea levels. Wearing an immersive headset, viewers enter an intimate virtual space, where they come face-to-face with the artist, who beckons within a glass tank is slowly filling with water from her waist to her neck. To produce the artwork, Acute Art developers captured the artist’s unique facial expressions to create a realistic looking avatar of Abramović.