US artist Alma Allen brings bronze evil eye to Venice Biennale

Key Points:

• U.S. self-taught sculptor Alma Allen was selected last-minute for the Venice Biennale amid a controversial and opaque selection process that replaced diversity-focused language with a mandate to promote “American values,” causing major institutions to withdraw.
• Allen, an outsider artist who has worked in Mexico and experienced homelessness, created a new exhibition titled “Call Me the Breeze,” featuring biomorphic sculptures in wood, stone, and bronze, reflecting his independent career and resilience.
• The original U.S. pavilion commission for artist Robert Lazzarini fell apart due to institutional sponsorship issues, leading to Allen’s unexpected appointment without a formal vetting or application process, drawing criticism about the loss of traditional peer review.
• Despite backlash and concerns over political interference, Allen insists his work is not propaganda and embraces his outsider status, symbolized by a headless sheep sculpture representing his perceived marginalization.
• Allen’s exhibition is a significant career milestone, inspired in part by Hieronymus Bosch’s painting “The Visions of Hereafter,” aiming to evoke the chaos of human experience within the neoclassical U.S. Pavilion in Venice.