India and China: global art world’s two emerging powers

As Venice Biennale is to open its doors to the world, Tom Kington of The prestigious UK publication Guardian turns his attention to Far Pavilions, to explains how China and India are leaving their footprints firmly on the global art map after snapping up permanent space. European cultural bastion are eager to welcome the global art world’s two emerging powers of global art world.

Apparently not content with their current status as growing economic superpowers, India and China are all set to storm the Venice Biennale, an European cultural bastion. Having hosted the likes of Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud and Henry Moore in its 116-year illustrious history, the prestigious art event is now in talks to give new, permanent pavilion sites to Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Bahrain and the UAE. This was revealed by its president Paolo Baratta to The Art Newspaper.

A Chinese delegation led by the ambassador to Italy paid a visit to the site. He stated he would be surprised if China failed to find a place up one of the permanent pavilions now on offer at disused docks next to the Biennale's main site on the southern tip of Venice. The 2011 edition of the much awaited biannual art showcase will also play host to India for the first time ever in nearly three decades.

There are debutants including Malaysia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh as well as Bahrain also get a foothold in with the UK, represented by noted installation artist Mike Nelson this year. The Venice Biennale curator states the focus is on the contemporary art’s unshackled globalism, sans any objection to Venice's apparent habit of shoving artists into their respective national pavilions. Sometimes the Pavilions are considered anachronistic.

As the prize-giving comes near, there will be national pride at stake. Newcomers look to take on old guard of the modern art after the awarding of top honors to Germany, the US and Sweden in 2009.