Biennale Arte 2024

Richard Saltoun Gallery proudly announces the inclusion of 4 gallery artists in the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere, curated by Adriano Pedrosa.

Romany EVELEIGH (1934-2020, London, UK - Rome, Italy) makes abstract, minimalist paintings that are underpinned by a profound conceptual drive, as well as her involvement in queer activism. A nomadic traveller throughout most of her life, she finally settled in Rome with her wife, Anna Baldazzi, becoming actively engaged with the radical lesbian movement during the 1970s. Eveleigh was a reclusive figure and worked on the margins of art world throughout her life, only gaining significant recognition in recent years.

Bertina LOPES (1924-2012, Maputo, Mozambique - Rome, Italy) was a pioneering African-Italian artist, and a pivotal figure of anti-colonialist art. She is famous for bridging the gap between African and European Modernism, having lived and worked between the two continents most of her life. She was an active part of the Mozambican resistance against colonial oppression and fascism in the 1950s, leading to her forced political exile, and eventual settling in Rome. Her work spans painting, drawing and sculpture, fusing Western tropes with traditional African influences.

Erica RUTHERFORD (1923-2008, Edinburgh, Scotland - Charlottetown, Canada) was a largely overlooked but pivotal figure in British Pop art, who pioneered gender discourse as one of Britain’s earliest openly transgender artists. After serving in the British Navy, Rutherford pursued acting and later visual art. Settling in Canada in the early 70s, she eventually underwent gender reassignment surgery in 1976. Rutherford's paintings are deeply connected to her personal journey and identity, expressed through humorous theatricality and an iconic Pop style.

At the age of 94, Greta SCHÖDL (1929-, Hollabrunn, Austria. Based in Bologna, Italy) continues to work at the forefront of the male-dominated canon of abstraction and visual poetry. Based in Bologna since the late 50s, Schödl has developed a unique vocabulary of letters and symbols that are repeated to the point of abstraction. She traces her signs across a range of experimental surfaces such as books, maps, paper, textiles and marble. Her work challenges the social constructs of gender and language, suggesting alternative forms of expression and interpretation.

The exhibition will run from 20 April - 24 November 2024.

Read more here.