The entire world of contemporary art at the Venice Biennale

The Venice Biennale, one of the world’s largest contemporary art shows, opened to the public last weekend. Photo: Japanese pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale.

The biennale this year is titled “ILLUMInations,” a term that, according to curator Bice Curiger, has many interpretations. Photo: British pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale.

For obvious reasons, it was unclear until nearly the last minute whether Egypt and Japan would be able to bring their projects to the biennale. They did, and their pavilions now enjoy greater attention. Photo: Japanese pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale.

The Russian pavilion features the Empty Zones project. Conceptual artist Andrei Monastyrsky (photo) and the group "Collective Actions" in collaboration with curator Boris Groys, hauled real poles from Venetian waters (with permission from local authorities) into the pavilion. The installation also features prison bunk beds, a Russian response to American minimalism.

By tradition, the main venue for major exhibitions has become the "Arsenal," founded in the 12th century on the former site of a shipyard. Photo: Luca Francesconi. Europe 3000 at the Arsenal.

Wax objects by Swiss artist Urs Fischer will melt at the end of the Biennale in six months. Photo: Urs Fischer. Untitled.

On June 4, an international jury named the top prizes of the Biennale. The "Golden Lion" for the best national pavilion this year went to Germany for the project Temple of Fear/Alien Inside (photo) by avant-garde film and theater director Christoph Schlingensief, who recently passed away.

The "Silver Lion" for the best young artist went to Harun Mirza from England. His installation Backfade_5 is on display at the main exhibition.

The names of the "Golden Lion" prize winners for contribution to art became known one month before the opening of the Biennale. Pictured here is the project of Paris-based American artist Ellen Sturtevant.

And Austrian artist Franz West. Photo: a fragment of Parapavilion by Franz West.

Traditionally, the Venice Biennale will remain open to the public for another six months, until November 27. Photo: Chance by Christian Boltanski, French pavilion.