61st International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia related shows at Palazzo Mora
Contemporary voices from diverse geographies
As part of its commitment to fostering diverse voices within the global art landscape, the ECC Italy is pleased to host two significant projects at Palazzo Mora within the framework of the 61st International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia. These include El Salvador National Pavilion, Cartographies of the Displaced by J. Oscar Molina, the Official Collateral Event by the Palestine Museum US, “__________ “* *Gaza - No Words - See The Exhibit, and the Seychelles National Pavilion with works by Egbert Marday. Together, they reflect ECC Italy’s ongoing support for emerging and often underrepresented perspectives, foregrounding artistic practices that engage with urgent social realities, collective memory, and cultural identity while contributing to a more inclusive contemporary art discourse.
J. Oscar Molina, Cartographies of the Displaced
Cartographies of the Displaced
The same venue also hosts El Salvador’s National Pavilion, marking the country’s first official participation in the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Presented at Palazzo Mora, Cartographies of the Displaced is a solo project by J. Oscar Molina, curated by Alejandra Cabezas and commissioned by Astrid Bahamond. Bringing together sculpture, painting, and installation, the exhibition centres on Molina’s ongoing Children of the World series, figures cast in concrete, copper, and bronze that range from intimate to monumental scale, reflecting on displacement as both a personal experience and a shared global condition.
Rooted in the artist’s own migration from El Salvador to the United States during the civil war, the project explores memory, identity, and belonging as fluid and evolving constructs. As Cabezas notes, “displacement is not merely the act of crossing a border, but a condition of carrying one’s past into new terrains”, framing the exhibition as an inquiry into what is lost, transformed, and reimagined through movement.
“______ “*
*Gaza - No Words - See The Exhibit
A significant component of this edition is ECC Italy’s ongoing collaboration with the Palestine Museum US, hosted at Palazzo Mora for the third consecutive edition and this year selected as an Official Collateral Event of the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Curated by Faisal Saleh, the exhibition presents the Gaza Genocide Tapestry, part of the broader Palestine History Tapestry project. The installation comprises 100 hand-embroidered panels (50×80 cm), each created by Palestinian women across refugee camps and communities in Lebanon, Jordan, and the West Bank, with approximately 55,000 stitches per piece, amounting to a total of 5.5 million. Documenting the ongoing devastation in Gaza since October 2023, the work transforms traditional tatreez, recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, into a powerful form of testimony and memory, preserving stories of loss, resilience, and survival through the language of embroidery.
Palestine Museum US, Gaza Genocide Tapestry
Palestine Museum US, Gaza Genocide Tapestry
Egbert Marday, Seychelles National Pavilion
Alongside the exhibition at Palazzo Mora, a dedicated presentation will be given to the Seychelles National Pavilion, offering a rare insight into one of the Indian Ocean’s most authentic contemporary artistic voices. Among the featured artists is Egbert Marday, one of the country’s pioneering figures in contemporary art. After an early career as a biology teacher, he pursued formal training in fine arts in Canada before returning to Seychelles, where he has since developed an independent practice deeply rooted in his environment.
Marday’s artistic production is distinguished by its profound connection with nature and personal identity. Working across wood carving, sculpture, and painting, his practice arises from an intrinsic need to create. His works are shaped through a direct, almost symbiotic interaction with natural materials, particularly wood, into which he embeds his thoughts, experiences, and sense of self. Living within the tropical landscape, he extended his art into his daily life: organic, unfiltered, and deeply sincere. His oeuvre reflects the cultural and environmental essence of Seychelles, resulting in works that are both intimate and representative of a still-young artistic context.
