Venice’s Golden Lions

The 60th Venice Biennale celebrated exceptional artists and their projects. Archie Moore, representing Australia, won the Golden Lion for his profound kith and kin installation in which he meticulously traced his family history on the walls of the pavilion, spanning thousands of years and highlighting the plight of First Nations people. Meanwhile, the Mataaho Collective from Aotearoa received praise and recognition for their monumental installation Takapau, which honoured Māori matrilineal traditions and manual labourers.

Special mentions were also given to Palestinian-American artist Samia Halaby for her abstract painting Black is Beautiful and to artist La Chola Poblete for her evocative watercolours on trans and indigenous perspectives. The jury also praised the pavilion of the Republic of Kosovo, highlighting Doruntina Kastrati’s powerful sculptural installation on inequality in the workplace.