MARK BRADFORD

Los Angeles-based Mark Bradford is known for large, imposing works, not surprising, perhaps, given that he stands at two metres. They sprawl across walls, richly layered and collaged with materials such as endpapers and industrial paint, intermittently sanded down to expose more layers, flashes of colour, and unexpected juxtapositions. The collective 10 paintings, sculptures and video installations the 56-year-old artist has brought to Venice are no exception. Presented under the title Tomorrow is Another Day (after the closing line from Gone With the Wind), and on display throughout the five galleries of the US Pavilion, as well as its exterior, the works consist of a multilayered narrative that intertwines personal experience and social history, seeing today’s world as if it were the ancient past and raising individual stories to the level of myth. The piece touches on issues of race, imagery and Hollywood, blending unorthodox textures, high art and pop culture in a socially charged tableau. Bradford has also brought to Venice a second, long-term project, Process Collettivo, that is purely his own. For it, he entered into a six-year partnership with a co-op that works with Italian inmates to grow produce and refashion old banners into bags (some are on sale at the Biennale). All profits go to the co-op to provide services for former prisoners.