Ugo Rondinone. Burn Shine Fly. Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista, Venice. 20 April - 17 September 2022

On the occasion of the 59th La Biennale di Venezia, the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista will host a major solo exhibition of work by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone, entitled burn shine fly.

The exhibition title, burn shine fly is derived from a book of poems, you got to burn to shine (1994) by American poet, John Giorno, the late partner of the artist.

Curated by Javier Molins, burn shine fly will be installed within the historic walls of one of the oldest and most important Scuole in Venice, with both iconic works by Rondinone as well as a new body of work created specifically for this exhibition; to be unveiled on the occasion of the opening.

“When Ugo received the commission to exhibit in this complex, he replied as he has done so many times during his artistic career: with a proposal involving a contrast with the architectural space that was to accommodate it. He had done so at the Château de Versailles, at Rockefeller Center in New York and in the Nevada desert, and he has done so at the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista.” - Javier Molins, curator

Founded in 1261, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista sets before visitors the long and rich history of the city of Venice. Its walls have housed treasures ranging from relics of the True Cross to works by renowned Venetian Renaissance artists such as Titian, Carpaccio and Bellini. An imposing, sculptural stone gateway designed by 15th-century Venetian sculptor and architect, Pietro Lombardo, leads into this historic complex of buildings, transforming the street passage into an enclosed quadrangle, an intimate courtyard which leads to the church and the Scuola’s magnificent frescoed and painted rooms.