Catalonia in Venice | Bestiari | Carlos Casas, the project curated by Filipa Ramos and produced by the Institut Ramon Llull, was officially opened this Thursday, and can be visited at the 60th International Venice Biennale Art Exhibition as part of the Collateral Events, until 24 November.

Bestiari is an immersive audiovisual work, in which visitors are immersed in a hypnotic environment of sounds and images made by animals and creatures that inhabit the natural and imaginary landscapes of Catalonia. It takes as its starting point the medieval text Disputa de l’ase, written by Anselm Turmeda in 1417, which is considered one of the cornerstones of Catalan literature.

The Catalan Minister of Culture, Natàlia Garriga, highlighted the fact that Catalan art is once again present at the Biennale, consolidating “the power of Catalan art on the major international stages”. Garriga described the installation as “a unique experience, which speaks to the health of our natural environments through sound, and makes us rethink our relationship with nature”. The Minister congratulated Carlos Casas and Filipa Ramos on having created an artistic approach that establishes “a dialogue between our literary heritage and nature and contemporary challenges,” which are “ideas that are a sign of a clearly committed art”. The Minister emphasised that the artistic project “reminds us that at a time of so much noise, listening is more important than ever”.

Meanwhile, the director of the Institut Ramon Llull, Pere Almeda, remarked during the opening that “Carlos Casas and Filipa Ramos have taken the theme of this year’s Biennale (Foreigners everywhere) one step further, to a world where we have turned nature and wildlife into foreigners. This project lets us rediscover, reconnect and listen to nature and wildlife in a way that we have never listened before, and doing so is a way to prevent their collapse.” Almeda added that “the installation is surprising, technologically very elaborate, and takes us to a hypnotic state, like the dream that Turmeda writes about in Disputa de l’ase”.

Barcelona artist Carlos Casas emphasised that his project documents Catalonia’s natural landscapes for future generations, bearing witness to these turbulent times and their impact on our environments. Casas explained that “the installation in Venice aims to provide a relaxing experience and for the visitor to take the time to connect with other species in a more direct way”.

The IRL has been producing and organising the participation of Catalan culture in the Collateral Events of the Venice Biennale since 2009.