https://cowlpane.com/tags/venice-biennale/ Recent content in Venice Biennale on Cowlpane Hugo en-us Sat, 09 May 2026 10:20:00 +0000 https://cowlpane.com/lifestyle/five-pavilions-to-see-at-the-venice-biennale/ Sat, 09 May 2026 10:20:00 +0000 https://cowlpane.com/lifestyle/five-pavilions-to-see-at-the-venice-biennale/ <p><em>Originally published by <a href="https://monocle.com/culture/art/five-pavilions-to-see-at-the-venice-biennale/">Monocle</a></em></p> <hr> <p>JapanWhile there might be few children elsewhere in the Giardini, Japan’s pavilion boasts roughly 200 babies. The dolls are hanging from the ceiling, creeping around fire extinguishers and roaming the pavilion’s perimeters. There’s even one peering down from the roof of the building. Visitors are invited to pick up and hold the weighted dolls or to even “change their diapers” (revealing a hidden QR code that leads to a poem). “The dolls weigh 5.5kg,” says artist Ei Arakawa-Nash. “It’s much heavier than you might expect, so usually people instantly smile and their facial expression softens. Until the show opened, I couldn’t have anticipated that.” The co-created performance is undoubtedly a strange one but it’s surprising how many who take part appear comforted by carrying around a doll. The result is tender and unexpectedly moving.</p>