Venice Biennale, The Nationals: Belgian Pavilion

For those who have the 55th Venice Biennale on their itineraries, we offer quick picks in the form of slide shows, appearing over the coming days, of one- and two-person shows at the national pavilions. With 88 countries participating, 10 for the first time, it’s impossible to be comprehensive. So we aim to serve visitors with limited time, attending just the two main venues: Giardini and Arsenale. Wherever you wander in Venice, however, keep your eyes peeled for the red Biennale logo, signaling nationals tucked into churches and palazzi.  

A TREE FALLS: BELGIUM (Giardini) Berlinde De Bruyckere found a tree in France and shipped it to Belgium, where she remade it in wax. It lies in the Belgian pavilion, patched with bandages like a human body and lit delicately by a skylight covered in distressed fabric. The South African novelist J.M. Coetzee collaborated with his story, “The Old Woman and the Cats,” published for the first time in the catalogue.