STEPHEN CHAMBERS: THE COURT OF REDONDA. LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA – 57th International Art Exhibition, Venice

 

The British artist Stephen Chambers presents an installation of paintings conceived for the historic setting of Ca’ Dandolo, Venice. The Court of Redonda explores the creation of myths, articulating the role played by artists in envisaging a world not how it is, but how it could be - one that is not necessarily wholly tethered in reality. Redonda is a tiny, uninhabited island in the Eastern West Indies, with an honorary kingship that is passed through literary lineage. Chambers was introduced to the legend of Redonda by the writings of the Spanish novelist Javier Marías, and has found in the story a labyrinthine weave of visual possibilities. Over 100 portraits of an imaginary court hang in the piano nobile of the ancient palazzo. The Court of Redonda offers a compelling insight into Chambers’ work and follows major exhibitions at the Royal Academy, London (2012), and the Pera Museum, Istanbul (2014). The exhibition is curated by Emma Hill.