Closing Étude for SEAWORLD VENICE

After seven months of daily performances, Florentina Holzinger brings SEAWORLD VENICE to its culmination with Closing Étude, presented on November 21 at the Scuola Grande della Misericordia in Venice. Commissioned by Hartwig Art Foundation, the performance marks the finale of Holzinger’s contribution to the Austrian Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.

SEAWORLD VENICE unfolds beyond the Giardini della Biennale in the format of Holzinger’s Études series — an ongoing body of work the artist has been developing since 2020, consisting of site-specific actions in public space.  

The Closing Étude centres on Holzinger’s now emblematic bell, retrieved from the lagoon during the Opening Étude. A central element of Holzinger’s work and of SEAWORLD VENICE, the bell has marked the passing of time, ringing every hour at the Austrian Pavilion.

In a ceremonial procession, it now makes its way to the historical building for a final collective celebration. As the bell falls silent, and the water stops circulating, this Closing Étude draws the final curtain on SEAWORLD VENICE.

Following the earlier SEAWORLD VENICE Études and the live installation presented at the Austrian Pavilion, the team unites to bring their exploration of purification rituals and renewal cycles to a close by inviting audiences to a final dinner 

This last Venice Étude traces a material transformation from solid to liquid, and forges a relic. Containing all the bodily waste collected from pavilion visitors over the past seven months, the distilled leftover remains as a monument for the future.

As a final closing gesture, the outcome will be presented in front of the closed Austrian Pavilion on 22 November. 

Tickets
Reservations for the Closing Étude open on 21 October at seaworldvenice.at/about/etudes. Tickets are free of charge, and in limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. 

For general inquiries: info@seaworldvenice.at 

Credits
The Closing Étude is commissioned by Hartwig Art Foundation. SEAWORLD VENICE, curated by Nora-Swantje Almes, is realised on behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport, Division IV – Arts and Culture. The SEAWORLD VENICE Études are commissioned by the lead partners the Bukhman Foundation, Hartwig Art Foundation and Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery.

The Études series also appears as satellite projects building narratives across different geographies. They have been presented at the Vienna Festival, the Nitsch Foundation, Kunsthaus Bregenz, TRANSART – Festival for Contemporary Cultures in Bolzano, and will take place with Hartwig Art Foundation in Amsterdam. 

SEAWORLD VENICE will be presented in adapted versions at Gropius Bau, Berlin (March 2027) and Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna (June 2027) and Amant, Brooklyn, New York (spring 2028).

About Hartwig Art Foundation
Hartwig Art Foundation is dedicated to the production, presentation, and collection of contemporary art. We foster contemporary artistic development, exchange and critical enquiry through global collaborations and commissions. Currently, we are developing the Hartwig Museum, a major new contemporary art museum in Amsterdam scheduled to open in 2028. Until then, our temporary space, Hartwig Proxy, serves as a testing ground and meeting place in the city for artists, neighbours and cultural communities alike. For more information, please visit www.hartwigartfoundation.nl.