With Iceland represented by Steingrímur Eyfjörd, everything is now in place for our participation in this year's Biennale in Venice. Recent years have seen more work and money put into Iceland's efforts for the Biennale, using the small but well-placed pavilion that Alvar Alto built in the centre of the Giardini exhibtion gardens. This year, however, Iceland will not be using Alto's building but has instead negotiated the use of one of the grand palazzos of Venice, right on the Canale Grande. This year's exhibition has also garnered record support from both public and private funds with generous contributions from both the Ministry of Culture and the private company Baugur Group, along with many others.

Iceland's new home at the Biennale is the Palazzo Bianchi Michiel, also known as “Dal Brusa” after a great fire in 1774 that damaged the pre-existing gothic building. The palazzo was renovated in 1777 and its richly decorated rooms still feature stuccos and frescoes by Jacopo Guarana in the upper floors. Its impressive entrance hall will be used for Steingrímur Eyfjörð's exhibition. While this new location takes us out of the Giardini, it does provide a very visible presence fronting the canal and is easily accessible by public transportation.

Our current issue focuses on Venice with an article by Christian Schoen, introducing Steingrímur Eyfjörð's exhibition, as well as an article by Jón Proppé based on an interview with Steingrímur himself, along with a few photographs. Our other features are an interview with Halldór Björn Runólfsson, the new Director of Iceland's National Gallery, and an introduction to the work of veteran artist Rúrí by Shauna Laurel Jones.