Tina Gillen (b. 1972, Luxembourg) represents the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg at the 59th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia with Faraway So Close. The exhibition, for which the artist has produced a new series of large-scale works, takes the form of an expansive painterly installation in the Luxembourg Pavilion, located within the historic premises of the Sale d’Armi in Venice’s Arsenale. In Faraway So Close, Gillen directs her attention to the connections between the interior space and the outside world.
In this exhibition, Gillen pursues her painterly research into natural phenomena that lie beyond human control, such as extreme weather events, rising sea levels or volcanic activity. The paintings that make up her installation thematise the four elements of nature we traditionally identify with the composition of the universe – earth, water, fire and air – while simultaneously evoking the tangible effects of climate change caused by human activity. They represent what the French writer Marielle Macé has described as "uncertain landscapes" in literature.
Commissionner: Ministry of Culture, Luxembourg Organizer: Mudam Luxembourg – Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean Curator: Christophe Gallois, assisted by Ilaria Fagone, Mudam Luxembourg With the support of: LuXembourg – Let’s Make It Happen Kultur ; lx – Arts Council Luxembourg
