The Australia Council for the Arts today revealed its plans for the Australian exhibition at the 54th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale in 2011 with Doug Hall AM at the helm as Commissioner.

Mr Hall’s leadership and dedication helped deliver, to date, over 200,000 visitors to the current Australian 2009 exhibitions, 13,576 in the 3-day vernissage preview period alone.

The exhibitions continue to generate strong media interest both locally and internationally and amongst the international art world.  The exhibitions close in Venice on Sunday, 22 November 2009.

‘Mr Hall made an exceptional contribution as the 2009 Venice Biennale Commissioner and we are absolutely thrilled and honoured that he has accepted our invitation to build on those outstanding achievements in 2011,’ said Australia Council for the Arts Chief Executive, Kathy Keele.

Also announced today is the decision to invite one established Australian artist to create new work/s for the Australian Pavilion in 2011.

A five-member selection panel consisting of the Commissioner Doug Hall, Professor Ted Snell, Chair of Australia Councilís Visual Arts Board; Dr Chris McAuliffe, Director of the Ian Potter Museum of Art in Melbourne; Yuko Hasegawa, Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo and Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney will select the Australian artist.  As in previous years, this esteemed group of peers will decide on Australia’s representation at the Venice Biennale 2011 through a process by invitation only.

The Australia Council will continue to manage and fund Australia’s participation in the International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale 2011. Total project expenditure will be confirmed following selection of the artist and development of a detailed exhibition plan.

The Australia Council for the Arts has managed and funded Australiaís representation for more than 30 years. Past Australian representatives have included Sir Sydney Nolan (1954), Imants Tillers (1986), Arthur Boyd (1988), Judy Watson, Emily Kame Kngwarreye (1997), Howard Arkley (1999), Lyndal Jones (2001), Patricia Piccinini (2003), Ricky Swallow (2005), Susan Norrie, Daniel Von Sturmer and Callum Morton (2007) and Shaun Gladwell (2009) and group exhibition of Ken Yonetani, Vernon Ah Kee and Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro (2009).

Media contact: Victoria McClelland-Fletcher (02) 9215 9008.