Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

National Pavilion of Mexico

Mexican Pavilion at the 52nd International Art Exhibition –
La Biennale di Venezia

Some things happen more often than all of the time
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

Press Preview: 7-9 June, 10 AM-8 PM
Receptions: 7, 8 and 9 June, 8-10 PM
Exhibition: 10 June–21 November,2007

Palazzo Van Axel, beside the Chiesa dei Miracoli
Cannaregio 6099
Venice 30121 Italy
Tel. +39-041-520-4807
http://www.mexicobienal.org


Rafael Lozano-Hemmer represents Mexico at the 52nd Biennale di Venezia with the exhibition “Some Things Happen More Often Than All of the Time”, curated by Príamo Lozada and Bárbara Perea, a show which will mark Mexico’s first official participation in the Biennale. The exhibition will consist of 6 large-scale installations covering 1,000 square metres of the Palazzo Van Axel, a 15th-century gothic landmark bordering the Chiesa Santa Maria dei Miracoli, in the vicinity of the Rialto bridge.

Lozano-Hemmer (Mexico City, 1967) develops large-scale interactive installations combining the languages of architecture and performance art. His work uses technologies such as robotics, surveillance and telematic networks to create platforms for audience participation, creating "anti-monuments for alien agency". His large-scale light and shadow installations are inspired by animatronics, carnivals and phantasmagoria, situating the spectator as a fundamental component to “complete” the work.

“His work succeeds in giving the unchoreographed the power of a full orchestra. Go look him up, go be part of his next project!”
-- CK Kuebel, NY Arts Magazine

Lozano-Hemmer’s work in kinetic sculpture, installation, video and photography has been shown in over thirty countries, including the Biennials of Sydney (Australia), Shanghai (China), Liverpool (United Kingdom), Istanbul (Turkey) and Havana (Cuba). His work is part of important private and public art collections such as those of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, La Colección Jumex in Mexico City, Fundación Cisneros Fontanals in Miami, the Daros Latin America Collection in Zürich and the Tate Collection in London.

The official participation of Mexico in Venice is the result of joint efforts by Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, Consejo de Promoción Turística and the generous support of the Fundación/Colección Jumex and the Fundación BBVA Bancomer. The non-profit Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo, which has also contributed funding and resources, is in charge of the administration of the project. The receptions, starring DJ sets by Sonido Changorama, will feature sponsored drinks by Jumex, Tequila Cuervo and Cerveza Sol.

A bilingual catalogue will be published by Turner Libros, featuring essays by Manuel de Landa, José Luis Barrios, Barbara London, Cuauhtémoc Medina, Victor Stoichita and curators Príamo Lozada and Bárbara Perea.

Coinciding with the 52nd Biennale di Venezia, Lozano-Hemmer’s work will also be exhibited at Art Basel Unlimited, at the Luminato Festival in Toronto and in the exhibition “Automatic Update” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s interactive installations have been commissioned for events such as the Millennium Celebrations in Mexico City (1999), the Cultural Capital of Europe in Rotterdam (2001), the United Nations’ World Summit of Cities in Lyon (2003), the opening of the Yamaguchi Centre for Art and Media in Japan (2003) and the Expansion of the European Union in Dublin (2004). His work in kinetic sculptures, responsive environments, video installation and photography has been shown in two dozen countries, including the Sydney Biennale (Australia), Art Basel Unlimited (Switzerland), the Liverpool Biennial (UK), the Shanghai Biennial (China), the Itau Cultural (Brazil), the Istanbul Biennial (Turkey), ARCO art fair (Spain) and others. He is the recipient of several Ars Electronica Awards (a Golden Nica, a Distinction and two honorable mentions), two BAFTA British Academy Awards for Interactive Art in London, a “Design Review Gold Award” given by I.D. Magazine, and an International Bauhaus award in Germany, among many others. He is currently Artist in Residence at the Institute for research in Construction, part of the Canadian national Research Council. Born in 1967 in Mexico City, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer received a B. Sc in Physical Chemistry from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, where he resides.