6 October 2015 — Announcement

Graham Fagen looks back on the opening week, six months on

I have fantastic memories of the opening week of my exhibition for Scotland + Venice at the 56th Venice Biennale.

My personal highlight was the live sound system performed by Adrian Sherwood and Ghetto Priest, after the fantastic Scotland + Venice dinner at Wake Forest University’s Casa Artom.

It was great to have Adrian, GP and our other collaborator on The Slave’s Lament, the composer Sally Beamish, in Venice to partake in the celebrations.

Over the months it has been good to get steady feedback from friends, colleagues and strangers who have visited the exhibition.

Comments on social media offer a valuable insight on viewers’ perceptions of the work I’ve made. It’s been pleasing to hear and see people having different highlights or favourite works.

My thoughts are slowly turning to where and how the work will be presented when it returns to the UK and how the experience of seeing it here will differ from the experience of the Palazzo Fontana in Venice.

I know for a fact that the weather won’t be as nice, nor the tomatoes but hopefully the art will be appreciated.

I’m excited by the opportunity to re-present the work and perhaps, this time, work I took to Venice but decided not to exhibit, may be included too.

Graham Fagen, October 2015.