Adrian Ghenie: The Battle between Carnival and Feast

Palazzo Cini Gallery will present an exhibition of new works by Adrian Ghenie titled The Battle Between Carnival and Feast. Unveiled on the second floor of the historic museum on 19 April 2019, the exhibition will be on view during the 58th edition of the Venice Biennale until 18 November 2019. Palazzo Cini Gallery, part of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, is the exceptional museum house that was once Vittorio Cini’s home. It now contains the masterpieces from his personal collection, and since the reopening in 2014 Assicurazioni Generali has been the gallery’s main partner. The Battle Between Carnival and Feast is presented in dialogue with the rooms of the museum and will run until 18 November.

One of the most celebrated painters of his generation, Adrian Ghenie combines in his works personal memories and collective trauma, both past and present. His paintings engage not only with the history of painting, but with “painting the texture of history” and the personalities whose actions have defined its course. Investigating the possibilities of paint as a medium is always central to Ghenie’s practice and by fusing the grand themes and narratives of historical painting with figures from today and current affairs, the paintings become less about the subject and more about the act of painting itself.