We worked in association with Daniel Birnbaum to present a major new work by
leading Mexican artist Héctor Zamora at the 53rd Venice Biennale 2009. The
piece imagined that Venice had been invaded by a fleet of zeppelins and
included a “real” airship that remained fixed, or “stuck”, in a narrow alleyway
close to the Corderia building, one of the biennale’s main exhibition
spaces.
Posters featuring a series of photomontages combining images of virtual
zeppelins with classic views of Venice were hung throughout the city before the
biennale opening and postcards distributed by souvenir vendors. Street artists
were invited to make paintings depicting the invasion, advertisements appeared
in the Italian press, and a video montage was created to simulate the zeppelin
onslaught.
There was an exhibition which ran concurrently at the Garage, Moscow which
examined the work Sciame di dirigibili – Venezia. The exhibition
included the maquettes used in the work and a documentary film revealing a
journey through the city through the eyes of artist Gosha
Ostretsov.
Héctor Zamora was born in Mexico City in 1974 and lives in São Paulo, Brasil.
He has exhibited widely internationally, including at the Museo Centro de Arte
Reina Sofia, Madrid, 2005, and the São Paulo Biennale 2006.
