Jan Švankmajer, Danish Pavilion

Likewise with Steph, I really loved Sigalit Landau representing Israel and it is one of my favourite national pavilions so far for the Biennale. Another artist that has stuck with me since I visited the Giardini two weeks ago was Jan Svankmajer’s film at the Danish Pavilion.

The title of this exhibit is Speech Matters, with eighteen artists exploring the complex notion of freedom of speech. One of the pieces exhibited in the pavilion is Jan Svankmajer’s 1968 film The Garden, a subtle political critique on the nature of communist rule in Czechoslovakia.

The short film presents a narrative on two friends Frank and Joseph. Upon reaching Joseph’s house, Frank is shocked to discover a human fence that surrounds his farm, which Joseph comically ‘unlocks’ to enter.



Joseph however is oblivious to the oddity of a human fence, and continues showing Frank around his farm and his two pet rabbits, discussing how lovely their fur is and how he prefers to raise them. Frank and Joseph have a series of seemingly normal, and at times comical conversations, which is unnerving in contrast to the human fence lurking in the background.





By the end of the short film Frank becomes one of Joseph’s victim, taking the place of an empty spot in the human fence while Joseph combs his hair... creepy!