From Marshes to Gardens. Unexpected Encounters at the Giardini della Biennale

Situated in the easternmost area of the Castello sestiere , the Biennale Gardens are in many ways exemplary of Venice’s historical, cultural and ecological complexity. Here, from spring to fall in alternating years, the Venice Biennales of Art and Architecture attract artists, practitioners and visitors from all over the world. It is historically the oldest and longest-running biennial exhibition and one of the planet’s most visited art events. The permanent structures of the Biennale are split between the Giardini and Arsenale, and include exhibition spaces, a central building, the national pavilions, and a library. In the case of the Giardini, these structures are located within a large green area (Venice ’s largest) in the middle of the residential neighbou rhoods of Castello and Sant’Elena. During winter, when the exhibitions are closed,the spaces of the Biennale remain eerily inaccessible, like an abandoned theme park or a zoo whose animals managed to escape.