Dear Babs, 

I’m a young artist with an MFA from a decent Midwestern university, and I want to become more aware and part of the international artistic milieu. From social media, it seems like most of the influential people in the art world spend a ton of time jet-setting around the globe to fancy, important art events like the Venice Biennale. Since I can’t afford to travel like that, I was wondering … am I actually missing out on something worth seeing? Should serious artists try and go to these big extravaganzas?

—FOMO in Florida

Dear Misunderstood,

Biennials matter to many people with vested interests in the international art world/market because they provide a unique opportunity to see a ton of contemporary art from all over the world in one place. But unlike art fairs, international biennials are thoughtfully curated exhibitions that ideally are meant to highlight art that matters to the world—and not just collectors—today.

Given your artistic aspirations, you should pay attention to the artists and ideas in these exhibitions to better understand the discourse and players shaping the art environment you want to enter. Thankfully, you don’t have to travel far to get this info. Most exhibitions have a robust web presence where you can learn about the artists, read curatorial essays and see plenty of documentation. Couple this with exhaustive coverage in
every art publication, along with the social media posts you already follow, and you will have a pretty good estimation of who and what is on display.

But I’m not going to lie; there’s nothing like being there in person, especially when it comes to an event like the Venice Biennale. There’s something fascinating about being in such a historically loaded place filled incongruously with contemporary art shoved into every nook and cranny. Add to this the international pavilions where many countries send their “best” artists and artworks, and you get a unique way to experience a cross-section of a globalized art world. If you can afford it, traveling to see art from other countries is usually a rewarding endeavor, and I highly suggest making a pilgrimage to the Venice Biennale at least once, if only to see the spectacle for yourself.