VENICE – Art once again takes over the night on Saturday, June 20, for the fifth edition of Art Night Venezia, the event conceived and coordinated by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice in collaboration with the City of Venice, and now part of the official calendar of European Art Nights.
This year, the entire city will come alive along its alleys and small squares with special late-night openings of museums, foundations, galleries, bookstores, institutions, and cultural associations. 87 cultural venues will participate, with hundreds of events scheduled, including at Palazzo Grassi, Punta della Dogana, the Civic Museums, Casa dei Tre Oci, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
A perfect opportunity to discover or rediscover the city and its countless treasures—enjoy a stroll along the canals, visit palaces and museums, and take part in the many activities and initiatives offered by the Night.
Main event of Art Night:
At 10:30 PM in the courtyard of Ca’ Foscari, a performance by Sicilian actress and author Teresa Mannino, “Rib rid roìd: A Sea Voyage”. Accompanied by Gli Impresari, Arazzi Laptop Ensemble, and Ensemble Elettrofoscari, she will read Book XII of the Odyssey – The Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis.
The official opening will take place at 6:00 PM in the courtyard of Ca’ Foscari, with Rector Michele Bugliesi and representatives from participating institutions, along with free giveaway items.
From the historic center to the islands, the whole night will be filled with art. At Art Night, anything is possible—there’s something for every curiosity, interest, and age.
Art foundations and city museums will open to offer access to some of the world’s most important art collections. Bookstores will host events and exhibitions, galleries will open their current shows, and visitors can enjoy guided tours of theaters and of Ca’ Dolfin, a 16th-century palace and Ca’ Foscari venue. There will also be numerous creative workshops and activities for children throughout the city. Music events and performances will take place at multiple venues in the historic center.
Even the islands will join in, with special events on Torcello, San Giorgio Maggiore, and San Servolo.
Events at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Location: CA’ FOSCARI UNIVERSITY, Dorsoduro 3246
6:00 PM – START: Gate opens – Free giveaways
Opening ceremony with Rector Michele Bugliesi and heads of partner institutions.
“Fairy tale for Art Night” – An English-language workshop for children aged 4–10
Led by Macacotour, this workshop takes kids on a fairy tale journey. First, they’ll dress up together and then perform a fun musical in English. Reservation required: info@macacotour.com or +39 349 6600107.
Location: Ca’ Foscari Exhibition Spaces, Dorsoduro 3246 | 5:30 PM–7:30 PM
Ca’rte Lab is the logo under which Ca’ Foscari University brings together all its workshops and activities for children (ages 6–10), relating to the university’s hosted and curated exhibitions.
The method used avoids dry fact-based learning and instead promotes creative engagement with the art through interaction with the exhibited works.
The project is a collaboration between the CSAR – Center for the Study of Russian Arts, the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage, and the Interdepartmental School for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
Project leads: Prof. Silvia Burini, Ph.D. Angela Bianco.
MacacoTour offers unique themed tours for young visitors, exploring a hidden and mysterious Venice, away from mass tourism.
Open Exhibitions
“Collected Landscape” by Byoung Choon Park
Curated by Hyun Joo Choe, organized by Cené International and Infinity Art & Culture Promotion with Ca’ Foscari University.
Running from May 9 to August 30, this solo show by acclaimed South Korean artist Byoung Choon Park features around ten large works blending travel impressions, natural spectacles, Google Maps views, and cultural memories.
A 25-meter-long walkable installation with 140 landscape-themed paper scrolls hung from butcher’s hooks forms the centerpiece.
Location: Ca’ Foscari Exhibition Spaces, Dorsoduro 3246 | 6:00 PM–Midnight
“On My Way”
Curated by Silvia Burini, Giuseppe Barbieri, Anna Frants, Elena Gubanova, Natasha Kurchanova.
In collaboration with CYLAND Media Art Lab (St. Petersburg) and CSAR, Ca’ Foscari.
A group exhibition exploring survival, routine, beauty, and the extraordinary through works by notable St. Petersburg artists.
Location: CFZ Ca’ Foscari Zattere / Cultural Flow Zone, Dorsoduro 1392 | 6:00 PM–Midnight
“Grisha Bruskin – Alefbet: Alphabet of Memory”
Featuring five large tapestries and preparatory sketches, gouaches, and six paintings. The works reinterpret the Jewish traditions of the Talmud and Kabbalah in a visually striking and symbolically rich narrative.
Promoted by CSAR and curated by Giuseppe Barbieri and Silvia Burini in collaboration with Fondazione Querini Stampalia.
Location: Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Santa Maria Formosa | 6:00 PM–9:00 PM
“Grisha Bruskin – An Archaeologist’s Collection”
Collateral event of the 56th Venice Biennale.
A powerful installation exploring the ruins of ideologies through sculptures of “Soviet humanity,” buried, unearthed, and displayed as archaeological remnants.
Location: Ex-Church of Santa Caterina, Cannaregio 4941 | 6:00 PM–11:00 PM
Installation
“Dancing Solar Flowers” by Alexandre Dang
In collaboration with Ca’ Foscari Sostenibile, this solar-powered artwork promotes renewable energy awareness and eco-friendly technologies.
Location: Ca’ Foscari Main Campus, Dorsoduro 3246 | 6:00 PM–1:00 AM
Music
From 8:00 PM, the Ensemble Elettrofoscari will perform:
Daniele Goldoni (trumpet), Jacopo Giacomoni (alto sax), Massimiliano Cappello and Carlo Siega (electric guitars), Alberto Bettin (piano), Marco Centasso (bass), Raul Catalano (drums).
Location: Ca’ Foscari Main Campus | 8:00 PM–9:00 PM
Performance
“Rib rid roìd: A Sea Voyage”
TERESA MANNINO
With Gli Impresari, Arazzi Laptop Ensemble, and Ensemble Elettrofoscari
10:30 PM, Main Courtyard
Teresa Mannino brings the twelfth book of the Odyssey to life—The Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis—with passion and humor, weaving in Ulisses’ journey, loves, and return to Penelope.
The performance transforms Ca’ Foscari into a mythic ship, complete with sound direction by Paolo Zavagna and earplug giveaways, echoing Ulysses’ trick to escape the Sirens. Spectators become part of the myth, caught between immersion and detachment.
Location: CA’ DOLFIN, Dorsoduro 3825/D
Special Project – Performance/Photoshoot
“Ritratto Continuo mod.3.375.020.000” by Francesca Montinaro
A group portrait of women representing diversity, individuality, and the potential of femininity to positively shape the world’s future. Featuring archetypes like brides, nuns, door-to-door sellers, word sculptors, Muslim women—icons in uniforms.
Artribune June 20, 2015