The Portuguese ferry story at the Venice Biennale

Portuguese Pavilion
Venice Biennale

The Free Gift
From the Venice Biennale

They do things differently at the Venice Biennale. New Zealand is showing in a corridor, the Slovenes in a gym, the Portuguese on a boat – and the organisers create some strange souvenirs

While the Portuguese exhibition may not be one of the most important, their pavilion is the most impressive.

Facing a major drop in funding from €800,000 to €180,000, they took the unusual and enlightened step of using a Lisbon ferry to house their exhibition. The ship has been towed from Lisbon and is tied up adjacent to the entrance to the Biennale gardens.

Artist Joana Vasconcelos has turned it into both an artwork and floating advertisement for Portugal. The exterior has been wrapped with a skirt of traditional ceramic tiles based on a panoramic city view created in the early 18th century shortly before the devastating earthquake of 1755. 

The main area of the interior has been transformed into fairytale world which Hobbits would be delighted to use for a dance party, with brightly knitted walls, ceilings and protruding stalactites. These are covered in fairy lights, creating an elaborate glow worm environment.

The artist has produced similar installations in places such as the Palace of Versailles.

She has also fitted out the ferry interior with Portuguese cork, making tables, chairs, stools, light fittings in addition to lining the floors, wall and ceilings with it. The cork company, one of the sponsors, has provided promotional pamphlets and there were display cases of Portuguese wine and food.

The whole boat is an artwork promoting Portugal. It is the sort of concept that Kiwi Michael Stevenson came close to with his 2005 Biennale show featuring the Trekka and butter boxes. New Zealand could try incorporating a similar idea into future pavilions.

The Portuguese party was also one of the most innovative. The flash events are normally held in famous hotels or palaces. But the Portuguese used the ferry to sail between the biennale gardens to the Guiddeca canal while serving traditonal wine and food.

There are always some unusual pavilions and events at the Venice Biennale but this year the organisers produced an extraordinary giveaway. What seemed at first glance to be a small packet containing a folded-up raincoat was, in fact, a Biennale branded silver foil lined purse for use as a portable ashtray.