For the 61st edition of La Biennale di Venezia, Dries Verhoeven, in collaboration with curator Rieke Vos, presents The Fortress: a work that takes the contradictions of the Biennale itself as its point of departure. According to Verhoeven and Vos, the Giardini della Biennale, with its thirty national pavilions, reflects a world order from a bygone era, one in which former Western superpowers still take center stage. Countries that in reality are fortifying their borders and rearming stand side by side here, with open doors and in apparent harmony. In this sense, the Giardini is a site of nostalgic wishful thinking—the park sustains the image of an enlightened tradition and a hopeful shared future.
The Fortress addresses self-preservation and protectionism in the face of profound geopolitical uncertainty. The Dutch Rietveld Pavilion, built in the optimistic aftermath of the Second World War, has historically embodied ideals of transparency and progress. Modernist architecture functioned as a spatial expression of democratic openness. Verhoeven’s intervention destabilises this legacy. At fixed intervals throughout the day, the pavilion performs a transformation that symbolically reverses its founding principles. Once a group of visitors has entered the building, steel shutters gradually close across its glass façades. Rattling and grinding, the modernist monument closes itself off from the outside world.
Inside, this steel veil dims the light of the sun-drenched space. What was once bright, transparent and accessible becomes dark and withdrawn. Performers gradually distance themselves from the audience, as if the darkness itself is taking hold. As the symbolic end of the enlightened era approaches, the work suggests that irrational impulses are gaining the upper hand. First comes despair, followed by desolation.
From Wednesday to Sunday, the pavilion is accessible at 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00 and 17:00. On Tuesdays, the work is presented as a closed sculpture.