Sonia Boyce will represent Britain at the Venice Biennale 2021

Britain will be represented by Sonia Boyce OBE RA (1962) at the 59th Venice Biennale 2021, the British Council announced.

The Afro-Caribbean British artist who lives and works in London became a major figure in the Afro-British art scene in the early 1980s: she was the youngest artist of her generation to permanently exhibit her work at the Tate, characterized by deep personal reflections on race, social class and gender.

Boyce is known for her highly innovative and experimental approach to art making, using performance, drawing, printmaking, photography and audiovisual elements. Since the 1990s, her artistic activity has begun to become increasingly improvisational and participatory, inviting viewers to be active, speaking, singing and moving in relation to the present and the past. Central to his art is the exploration of facts and events with a focus on personal and political issues.

“I was extremely surprised when I was told that I would be chosen to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale 2021. Obviously, I am very honored and terribly excited and nervous. I am eager to begin this creative journey, comparing my experience with others who will agree to work with me along this path,” commented Sonia Boyce, accepting the British Council’s proposal.

Emma Dexter, director of Visual Arts at the British Council and a member of the Great Britain Pavilion committee, added, “The British Council is very excited to announce that Sonia Boyce will represent Great Britain at the Venice Biennale 2021. We are anticipating this news with great excitement because her exhibition will be a combination of collaboration, improvisation and dialogue and will play a key role. Boyce’s art raises important questions about the nature of creativity, questioning artists, how ideas are made and the authorship of a work. At a crucial moment in Britain’s history, the commission has chosen an artist whose art brings together inclusivity, generosity, experimentation and the importance of working together.”

Pictured, Sonia Boyce Ph. Credit Paul Cochrane. Courtesy UAL

Sonia Boyce will represent Britain at the Venice Biennale 2021

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