KOEN VANMECHELEN
Noah's Ark
Venice Airport Marco Polo
At the airport of Venice (Marco Polo), Vanmechelen presents ‘Noah’s Ark’, a contemporary interpretation of the iconic Venetian water bus — the Vaporetto — transformed into a floating gallery. This vessel, carrying a microcosm of our world, serves as a call to reimagine our world. It reflects the human condition and urges us to navigate the turbulent waters of our existence with awareness, responsibility, and hope.
General information
Marco Polo Airport
Feb 2024 — Feb 2025
Partner of the Venice Pavilion
60. Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte
The Venetian ark-vaporetto carries with it a microcosm of our world, reflecting the human condition. Crowded to its very soul, this ark transports figures - from Frida Kahlo to Albert Einstein, from Mahatma Gandhi to Mother Teresa - who are emblems of human genius and philosophical thought. Each of them carries a message that transcends the limits of time and geography. The canopy of the ark houses a congregation of near-extinct species, a poignant reminder of the Anthropocene. These creatures, half in our realm and half in another, are a call for environmental consciousness. Together with the space shuttle, they invite a contemplation of the dual nature of human progress. The airport, a hub of arrivals, departures, and fleeting moments, offers a powerful backdrop for the artwork. Vanmechelen explains: "In this space, it becomes a beacon for travelers, a reminder of both our shared history and the future ahead, urging us to navigate the turbulent waters of our existence with awareness, responsibility and hope."
It is an artistic voyage, a tribute to Venice as a mirror of contemporaneity and history. A symbolic ark that does not wait inertly for the end of the flood: the ark is a memory, but also the sense of the future project that each of us, in the singularity of our souls and in our participation in the collective vision of society and the environment to which we belong, has built. The mooring and departure of a journey that looks to new generations, to the human and environmental sustainability of our planet.
— Beatrice Mosca, curator and coordinator
Video by Syrio Production