Points Center for Contemporary Art specially invited Marianne Burki, the Head of Visual Arts at Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council, and the director of the Swiss Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, to present an in-depth sharing about the Swiss Arts Council and the Venice Biennale. From the perspective of development and contemporary art of Swiss culture, to elaborates the current situation in the European art field, and combined with its rich practical experience, shows the curatorial planning process of large-scale art projects.

The Swiss Arts Council aims to promote artistic creation in Switzerland, contribute to cultural exchange at home, promote the dissemination of Swiss culture abroad and foster cultural outreach. 

Venice Biennale is one of the most important art exhibitions in Europe. It is known as the world's three largest art exhibitions together with the Documenta in Kassel, Germany and the Sao Paulo Biennale in Brazil. 

At the Venice Architecture Biennale 2018, the Swiss Pavilion won the “Best National Pavilion Golden Lion Award”. 

As one of the important hubs of today's art research, Switzerland's cultural development trend will continue to spread internationally.

About the speaker

Marianne Burki is Head of Visual Arts at Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council, since 2005. She is among other responsible for the Swiss Pavilion at Venice Biennale and in her capacity. she is also president of the Swiss Art Historian Association VKKS (Vereinigung Schweizer Kunsthistorikerinnen und Kunsthistoriker). She is responsible for the policy making for the visual art funding on the national level in Switzerland and for all exchange internationally.

An author in the field of art herself she also launched a long term critical writing project exploring the manifold changes and possibilities in the field. Prior to joining Pro Helvetia, the art historian was engaged as the proactive funding Director of the Kunsthaus Langenthal, curated contemporary art exhibitions and, among others, working on projects on the border between art, design and everyday culture. She worked as the project manager of the catalogue raisonné of the work of Paul Klee at the Paul Klee Foundation and was a lecturer. She is also the author of film about the Swiss sculptress Mariann Grunder.