Art. Adam Pendleton Brings ‘Black Lives Matter’ to the Venice Biennale.

Adam Pendleton Black Lives Matter


As part of the Belgian Pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale, African-American artist Adam Pendleton will be showing some of his latest works, which were inspired by recent events.

Pendleton incorporated the words “Black Lives Matter” into a large presentation of his stark, minimalist works. His signature “Black Dada” aesthetic melds the temporal vagueness of the Dada movement with a dialogue about blackness as a cultural signifier that focuses on the here and now. While that dialogue is driven by history, history isn’t necessarily front and center in the narrative. Pendelton says that he sees blackness in this context as “open-ended.”

Adam Pendleton Black Lives Matter
(Adam Pendleton by Peter Ross for the Wall Street Journal.)

In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Pendleton expressed the internal conflict that black artists often feel when trying to react to emotionally and politically wrought events by incorporating them into their art.

“How do you go to Ferguson as an artist? And how do you not go as a voyeur? I think this is all part of the art.”

Adam Pendleton Black Lives Matter

Pendleton recently spoke with Artsy about the installation.

Behind the Biennale: Adam Pendleton Brings “Black Lives Matter” to Venice from Artsy on Vimeo.

Adam Pendleton is one of many African-American artists whose works will be on view at the Biennale in Venice from May to November. Sound artist Camille Norment will also be displaying her works as part of this years Nordic Pavilion.