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Swiss Pavilion at Venice Art Biennale attracts 500,000 visitors

Venice Biennale
Latifa Echakhch's installation "The Concert" in the Swiss Pavilion Keystone / Andrea Merola

The Venice Biennale closed its doors on Sunday with a record number of visitors. The contemporary art show had recorded more than 800,000 admissions up to one day before closing.

The Swiss PavilionExternal link was visited by 500,000 people, the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia said on Tuesday. Switzerland was represented at the exhibition by Latifa Echakhch, an artist who was born in Morocco, grew up in France and has been living and working in Vevey and Martigny for around ten years.

For her installation entitled “The Concert”, Echakhch collaborated with the percussionist and composer Alexandre Babel and the curator Francesco Stocchi. Commissioned by the Pro Helvetia Foundation, a five-member Swiss and international jury chose the artist after a competition.

The 59th Art Biennale was more popular than ever in the 127-year history of the show. The number of visitors overall was up 35% compared with pre-pandemic 2019. Covid meant the art show, which is usually held every two years, was postponed by one year to 2022.

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