“It touches your heart”: Australia Pavilion supervisor on the Golden Lion and 28 years of working Venice Biennale

^{Diego Carpentiero being interviewed in Sydney. Artwork by Tracey Moffat}

Since 1996, Italian Diego Carpentiero has been Supervisor of the Australia Pavilion at Venice Biennale. Born in Milan but a long term resident of Venice, for 28 years Diego has been managing Australia Pavilion installations and its day-to-day operations, supervising its invigilators and crowd control measures.

We asked him some questions about the Pavilion’s artistic legacy and how Venice and contemporary art have changed in that time.

How has the Biennale changed Venice over the years?

Well, Venice is a very touristic city, and it’s calculated that in recent years there are probably up to 30 million tourists a year. [The Biennale] is just one of the things that happen there. I wouldn’t say that all the tourists come for the Venice Biennale, but it is probably considered the most important event in the Venetian calendar. Also, because the richest people come for the Venice Biennale. So, Venetians are fond of it, for that reason.

^{Photo: John Gollins}

How have you seen Venice, the Biennale, and its audience, change over those years?

Venice was very touristic before, but now the amount of tourists we have does not have a precedent. For residents, it’s hard to bear this situation, because the number of tourists is beyond the [capacity]. We always think that maybe in the future they will decrease a little bit. But on the other side, the economic, financial point of view, it is a positive thing, because in Venice there are no other economic activities. There used to be, but now they disappeared completely, covered by the touristic wave.

“To see the exhibition properly, you should stay for a week, which no one does – it’s hard to see everything in one day, because you need time to digest that much information.”

What have you learned over the years about what gives audiences pleasure, and what challenges them?

What makes a Biennale special is the high concentration of completely different things – the huge amount of information that you can process in a short period of time. In my opinion, to see the exhibition properly, you should stay for a week. Which no one does, they usually stay for a couple of days, because there are the two main venues. But it’s hard to see everything in one day, because you need time to digest that much information.

^{Photo: John Gollins}

Is what audiences enjoy different to what it was 20 years ago?

Maybe 20 years ago, the exhibition was more for art people, for specialists. They came from everywhere in the world, but most of them were art people, so they knew what to expect. Now, the exhibition is also very much for the general public. So there are different reactions, of course, because contemporary art is so special and there are so many different varieties. Many people don’t understand it, especially Venetians. The Venetians say, “Ah, we like Biennale because it brings so many nice people and so much money,” but [they] don’t understand anything about it.

What are some exhibitions that have stood out for you across the years, that you’ve been involved with at the Australia Pavilion?

I started managing the Pavilion in 1996, and my first exhibition was Fluent in 1997. It was an exhibition of three First Nations women [Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Yvonne Koolmatrie, Judy Watson], and that was both my first and also most important one. It was very involving and exciting. Another one that I remember was the exhibition by Howard Arkley in 1999 because, during the exhibition, there was a tragedy – the artist died, so it was very emotional for everyone. All of them are important because they’re so different. In 2007 when Australia decided to participate in three different venues, it was triple work, for me. We had Daniel von Sturmer, Callum Morton, and Susan Norrie in three different places, with three completely different exhibitions.

“We started with paintings on the walls, and now there are always complicated installations. In 2022 Marco Fusinato had a huge video with loud sound. It was very controversial – we were conscious of the neighbours – but it was exactly what they wanted to achieve.”

How have you seen the artwork that Australia presents at the Pavilion change over the years?

Contemporary art has surely changed in the last 25 years, and so Australia is following the general tendency. We started with paintings on the walls, and now there are always complicated installations like videos and other things that are not so conventional, which makes it even more interesting and challenging because of that. In 2022 Marco Fusinato had a huge video, six metres high and thirteen metres long with loud sound. It was very controversial – we were conscious of the neighbours and worked closely with them – but it was exactly what they [the artistic team] wanted to achieve.

“Having the opportunity to work with so many top artists was for sure a privilege for me – I met the best geniuses of Australian art.”

What have you enjoyed the most about working at the Australia Pavilion over the years?

Having the opportunity to work with so many top artists was for sure a privilege for me. I met the best geniuses of Australian art, and I worked with them for a few weeks. That was a very good experience and I’ve gotten a lot of benefits out of it.

What has it been like working with Archie, Ellie and the rest of the contributors to the production of the exhibition?

Every year the project is different, and for this reason it is always very interesting to face a new challenge. The fact of dealing with different people, with different attitudes, objectives and ways of operating makes the work stimulating and often exciting. Archie, Ellie and the rest of the staff were very close-knit, the result was a work at the highest levels, rightly recognised as such with an award, the Golden Lion – absolutely deserved.

 

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What did you enjoy most about working with Archie and Ellie to bring their exhibition to life?

Again, this exhibition is different from anything we’ve had before, so I was looking forward to it. This exhibition is very immersive and emotional for visitors – I know they have put a lot of emotion into this particular installation. If we put together this exhibition and Marco Fusinato [2022] it’s like another dimension, completely different. Archie is a delicate artist, so the emotion doesn’t come from strong sound, it comes from something you have to concentrate to see. It touches your heart.

When it was designed, [the Pavilion] was meant to be a white box inside a black box, because it’s a cube, no? All the artists have interpreted it in a different way. This time it’s completely black. Archie spent a lot of time engraving on the black walls around the Pavilion. The Pavilion is completely black and completely signed with his drawings. He spent weeks inside the room making these drawings.

^{Archie Moore / kith and kin  2024 / Australia Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2024 / Photographer Andrea Rossetti / © the artist / Images courtesy of the artist and The Commercial}

What do you think of the kith and kin exhibition now it has launched and you’ve had time to take the work in?

For professional reasons I am always led to look at a project from a technical and implementation point of view. I saw kith and kin being created and developed in Venice, and I was able to be part of some technical choices that were made during the installation phase. So yes, I had time to get to know kith and kin in depth, and knowing its meaning and its motivations was even more satisfying.

“I like to think that the award also goes to all the artists, curators, organisers and technicians who have given their all in the past but who for various reasons have not been able to have an award”

Having seen so many previous Australian artists exhibit in the Pavilion, what is it, do you think, that earned this one the honour of the Golden Lion?

I see the Golden Lion awarded to kith and kin as the right recognition for over 40 years of Australian presence at the Biennale, carried out with the utmost commitment, dedication and professionalism since the beginning. I like to think that the award also goes to all the artists, curators, organisers and technicians who have given their all in the past but who for various reasons have not been able to have an award like the one obtained this year.

Follow kith and kin on Instagram: @kithandkin_2024

kith and kin has been acquired by the Australian Government to display at QAGOMA and Tate London. Read more.