May 9,
2015 joan jonas wins special mention award at the 2015 venice biennale

Congratulations to ACT Prof Emerita, Joan Jonas, ACT Founding Director, Ute Meta Bauer, NTU CCA Singapore (pavilion co-curator) and MIT List Director, Paul C. Ha (pavilion commissioner + co-curator), who were honored at the Venice Biennale with a special mention award for their work on the U.S. pavilion, “They Come to US without a Word.”

Jonas, a pioneering figure in performance art and video, has created a new multimedia installation that will transform the entirety of the Pavilion’s five galleries into a dynamically immersive environment. For the five galleries of the U.S. Pavilion, Joan Jonas conceives a new complex of works, creating a multi-layered ambience, incorporating video, drawings, objects, and sound. For more information on Joan Jonas’ participation in the 2015 Venice Biennale, visit joanjonasvenice2015.

MIT ACT faculty have a tradition of participation in the Venice Biennale- Antoni Muntadas: On Translation in the Spanish Pavilion (2005); Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas: Villa Lituania, Lithuania- Biennale Award, Honorable Mention to a Pavilion (2007); and Krzysztof Wodiczko: Guests in the Polish Pavilion (2009). ACT Alumni also have a profile in Venice, with Jennifer Allora representing the United States with, Jennifer Allora & Guillermo Calzadilla: Gloria, (2011) and Alia Farid as curator of the Kuwait Pavilion at the 14th International Architecture Biennale (2014).

For more information on the Venice Biennale visit their website.