{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-article-js","path":"/aline-bouvy-on-representing-luxembourg-at-the-61st-venice-biennale/","result":{"data":{"wordpressPost":{"id":121291,"slug":"aline-bouvy-on-representing-luxembourg-at-the-61st-venice-biennale","title":"Aline Bouvy on Representing Luxembourg at the 61st Venice Biennale","excerpt":"“We all know that a manifestation like the Venice Biennale is inherited from colonialism and the practice of world exhibitions”","content":"\n<p><strong>“We all know that a manifestation like the Venice Biennale is inherited from colonialism and the practice of world exhibitions”</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>ArtReview</em>&nbsp;sent a questionnaire to artists and curators exhibiting in and curating the various national pavilions of the 2026 Venice Biennale, the responses to which will be published daily in the leadup to and during the Venice Biennale, which runs from 9 May through 22 November.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aline Bouvy is representing Luxembourg; the pavilion is in the Arsenale.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Celebrating Visions. Versace partners with&nbsp;</em>ArtReview<em>&nbsp;to share stories from the 2026 Venice Biennale.</em></p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-c-Ernest-Thiesmeier-2025-1230x1845.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-121302\" srcset=\"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-c-Ernest-Thiesmeier-2025-1230x1845.png 1230w, https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-c-Ernest-Thiesmeier-2025-600x900.png 600w, https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-c-Ernest-Thiesmeier-2025-300x450.png 300w, https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-c-Ernest-Thiesmeier-2025-768x1152.png 768w, https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-c-Ernest-Thiesmeier-2025-1024x1536.png 1024w, https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-c-Ernest-Thiesmeier-2025.png 1333w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1230px) 100vw, 1230px\" /><figcaption>Photo: Ernest Thiesmeier</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>ArtReview Tell <em>ArtReview</em> what you plan to exhibit in Venice. What has influenced or inspired you?</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Aline Bouvy</strong> I will present <em>La Merde</em>, an audiovisual essay staged within an architectural setting and accompanied by a publication. The project draws on a longstanding interest in the symbolic, political and affective power of waste, as well as on the ways affirmative abjection, humor and excess can be deployed to reflect on the conditions of the present.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AR In what ways (if at all) does your work relate to the theme of the Biennale exhibition, <em>In Minor Keys</em>?</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AB</strong> Although the title is quite in-your-face, the project is really concerned with something simple, humble and universal, something we all do every day. It starts from inside the body but opens onto a wider sense of circulation, of matter, energy and life. In that sense, it touches on what societies tend to hide, manage or repress, and on the unease that comes with being reminded that we are not separate from these basic processes. The work is also about what happens when that flow stops, when the circulation is blocked and everything breaks down.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AR Why is the Venice Biennale still important, if at all?</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AB</strong> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We all know that a manifestation like the Venice Biennale is inherited from colonialism and the practice of world exhibitions. When I first visited the Venice Biennale back in 2001, it was, of course, an overwhelming experience to be able to see so much art at once. More and more countries or regions all over the world are getting involved. I think it remains an important moment because, taking into account all that it takes to make such an event happen, it suggests that art, as a human activity dealing with the symbolic, still matters.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AR What role does a national pavilion play at a time of increasing confrontational nationalisms? Is it about expressing difference or commonality?</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AB</strong> Coming from a multicultural background and growing up in a country known for its multiculturalism, I find it a difficult question to answer. As for Luxembourg, I would say that there has always been a broader perspective than any form of nationalism, it’s more about holding different perspectives together.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AR Who, for you, is the most important artist (in any discipline) that your country has produced?</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AB</strong> In this Venetian context, I am reminded of the conceptual artist Bert Theis (1952–2016), who in 1995 erected the temporary pavilion Potemkin Lock between the Belgian and Dutch pavilions, a project that also marked Luxembourg’s first participation in the Venice Biennale. I recently learned that permission for this project was granted just a day before the official opening. The wooden cabin pavilion led visitors to a small garden where white deck chairs were set up and where visitors could rest. This space became like an annex, a behind-the-scenes of the Biennale itself, where the rules or manners expected in such a context were subverted and encouraged the participation of the public in the work. The deck chairs were covered with words, texts and drawings. Enrico Lunghi was the curator. The project was carried out without financial support. A 5,000 fr. bill (€125!) had been slipped into their hands before their departure for Venice, along with a case of wine so they would have something to serve at the opening.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-La-Merde-filmstill-2026.-Courtesy-The-Artist_2-1230x547.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-121305\" srcset=\"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-La-Merde-filmstill-2026.-Courtesy-The-Artist_2-1230x547.jpg 1230w, https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-La-Merde-filmstill-2026.-Courtesy-The-Artist_2-600x267.jpg 600w, https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-La-Merde-filmstill-2026.-Courtesy-The-Artist_2-300x133.jpg 300w, https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-La-Merde-filmstill-2026.-Courtesy-The-Artist_2-768x341.jpg 768w, https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-La-Merde-filmstill-2026.-Courtesy-The-Artist_2-1536x683.jpg 1536w, https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-La-Merde-filmstill-2026.-Courtesy-The-Artist_2.jpg 1708w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1230px) 100vw, 1230px\" /><figcaption><em>La Merde </em>(still), 2026. Courtesy the artist</figcaption></figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AR What is something you want people to know about your nation that they might not know already?</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AB</strong> A favourite Luxembourgish dish of mine is cauliflower with white sauce and boiled eggs, a rural specialty that was prepared in times of meat shortage. Even the béchamel sauce is made with the cauliflower’s cooking water. I don’t know a simpler or more humbling recipe, and yet it looks so chic on a plate.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AR Given that you are exhibiting in a national pavilion, is there something (a quality or an issue or attitude) that distinguishes the art of that nation from that of others? That makes it particular? Are there specific contexts that it responds to? Or do you think that art is a universal language that goes beyond social, political or geographic boundaries?</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AB</strong> I don’t think there is a single quality that defines the art of a nation. In a country like Luxembourg, shaped by movement, multilingualism and overlapping influences, identities tend to be fluid. What might be particular is precisely this condition of being in-between, rather than a fixed or unified position.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AR What, other than art, are you looking forward to seeing –&nbsp;or doing –&nbsp;while you are in Venice?</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AB</strong> I really want to visit the flooded crypt of San Zaccaria.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AR Could you give us a brief overview of your average working day while creating your presentation in Venice?</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AB</strong> There was no real average working day. The whole process was defined by an intense daily proximity with the people I brought together for the project, many of whom are dear friends and longtime collaborators. The work very much came to life through this closeness, becoming an integral part of the project itself. I’m going to miss that time so much.</p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AR Can art really change the world?</strong></p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AB</strong> No, but it can change someone’s world. It certainly changed mine.</p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The&nbsp;</em><a href=\"https://artreview.com/category/venice-biennale-2026/\"><em>61st Venice Biennale</em></a><em>&nbsp;runs 9 May through 22 November 2026</em></p>\n","path":"/aline-bouvy-on-representing-luxembourg-at-the-61st-venice-biennale/","format":"standard","date":"27 May 2026","rawDate":"2026-05-27T15:02:06.000Z","branch":{"name":"artreview.com"},"author":{"name":"ArtReview","path":"/author/artreview/"},"category":{"name":"Venice Biennale: Artist Q&As","path":"/category/venice-questionnaire/"},"featured_media":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-c-Ernest-Thiesmeier-2025.png","caption":"","alt_text":"","media_details":{"width":1333,"height":2000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-c-Ernest-Thiesmeier-2025-300x450.png","width":300,"height":450},"medium":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-c-Ernest-Thiesmeier-2025-600x900.png","width":600,"height":900},"large":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-c-Ernest-Thiesmeier-2025-1230x1845.png","width":1230,"height":1845},"wordpress_1536x1536":{"source_url":"https://backend.artreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aline-Bouvy-c-Ernest-Thiesmeier-2025-1024x1536.png","width":1024,"height":1536},"wordpress_2048x2048":null}}},"acf":{"article_artist":null,"article_video":null,"article_audio":null,"article_collaboration":"","article_custom_html_snippet":"","article_featured_title":"","article_featured_description":"","article_highlight":false,"article_custom_link_url":"","hero_image":null,"seo_title":"Aline Bouvy on Representing Luxembourg at the 61st Venice Biennale","seo_description":"ArtReview sent a questionnaire to artists and curators exhibiting in and curating the various national pavilions of the 2026 Venice Biennale. Aline Bouvy is representing Luxembourg; the pavilion is in the Arsenale.","article_related_articles":[{"id":121243,"title":"Jon Cuyson on Representing the Philippines at the 61st Venice Biennale","path":"/jon-cuyson-on-representing-the-philippines-at-the-61st-venice-biennale/","author":{"name":"ArtReview","path":"/author/artreview/"},"category":{"name":"Venice Biennale: Artist 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