Controversy stirred at the Venice Architecture Biennale after Italian government officials refused visas to three key Ghanaian curators who had planned on entering the country to attend the exhibition ahead of its opening on Saturday, May 20.
On May 19, The Art Newspaper's Tom Seymour reported on the latest details on the story first mentioned by Guardian critic Oliver Wainwright via Twitter on May 10th.
Sickening to hear this from the curator of this year's Venice Biennale, Lesley Lokko – large numbers of participants from Africa have been denied visas to attend: pic.twitter.com/Pn5ASUgev9
— Olly Wainwright (@ollywainwright) May 10, 2023
The drama began after the Italian ambassador to Ghana denied entry permissions to the traveling contingent, reportedly accusing curator Lesley Lokko of trying to bring three “non-essential” workers into the EU’s Schengen economic zone.
Lokko, who is herself of Ghanaian descent, responded to decry the actions as the motivations of a right-wing careerist diplomat, added during the event's pre-opening press conference (on May 18 and 19) to address the controversy. While thanking the many supporters, collaborators, curatorial assistants, and team of participants showcasing work at this year's Architecture Biennale, Lokko stated 12 minutes into the press conference “that not all teams are equal.”
She continued by stating, "The rejection document from the Italian Embassy in Accra states 'there are reasonable doubts as to your intention to leave the territory, or state, before the expiry of your visa,'" she also stated. "No explanation has been given to what the doubts were, reasonable or otherwise.”
The three men were reportedly in the employ of Lokko's African Futures Institute and have return flights booked, according to The Art Newspaper via the Biennale. However, Lokko made it clear that “For the moment, this is a headline story, but it cannot become the defining story of this exhibition. That's too easy, too predictable, too cheap.”
A statement from the Biennale published by the news outlet reads as follows:
“We believe it is important to clarify that Lesley Lokko, in her role as the director of AFI—African Future Institute of Accra in Ghana—and in agreement with La Biennale di Venezia, asked her collaborators, who have worked in various capacities to build the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of which she is the curator, to be on site in Venice for the first trial days of the exhibition, a significant moment that concludes the job to which they have dedicated their work with great passion and commitment over the past months.
“We applied for six visas for them as direct collaborators, as is routine for all collaborators. Lodging had been found for all of them in Venice, and return tickets to Ghana already reserved. The visas were denied to three of the collaborators, and one of them is still awaiting a response. We are currently in contact with the competent authorities to find a solution.”
Archinect will share more details on the situation once they are made available.
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