The Holzinger Syndrome What We Talk About When We Talk About the Venice Biennale

By Sehoi Park

[English digest of the original coverage]

Giardini offers a unique artistic experience every hour on the hour. As the moment approaches, a gray, indefinable sound begins to resonate through the massive speakers installed in the Austrian Pavilion. When the clock strikes, a woman, fully nude and wearing a belt with a metallic sphere attached to her side, appears and climbs the rope attached to a giant bell. Once she enters the bell, turns her body, and hangs upside down, the gray noise vanishes instantly, leaving a breathtaking silence throughout the vast space of the pavilion. Hundreds of people—not just general visitors, but artists, curators, art journalists, and Gold Card holders supporting the Venice Biennale—hold their breath, waiting for the event. As the hour strikes, she shakes her body to strike the bell with the metallic sphere at her side. The alarm bell resonates through our bodies and minds.

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Women of formidable physical presence—some with modified bodies or adorned with intricate tattoos—don climbing harnesses to traverse the massive pillars, reconstructing our stereotypes through the imagery of a 'Modern Venus.' Meanwhile, the sound emitted by a woman riding a jet ski in the indoor water tank, sporting an intense, primal expression reminiscent of Mad Max, harmonizes with the tolling of the alarm bell ringing throughout the exhibition space.