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Valerie Asiimwe Amani at the Venice Biennale

Ruskin DPhil Valerie Asiimwe Amani presents a participatory installation as part of the Tanzanian Pavilion exhibition.

Valerie Asiimwe performance on the opening night. Photograph by Fabio Scopel

Tanzanian Pavilion installation view. Photograph by Fabio Scopel.

Tanzanian Pavilion team. Photograph by Fabio Scopel.

Curated by Lorna Benedict Mashiba and Martina Cavallarin, Minor Frequencies: The Inner Life of a Nation explores Tanzania’s inner architecture through four interconnected themes — the Body, Gesture, Archive, and Mind — represented by Tanzanian artists whose works collectively expand perspectives on the nation’s cultural identity. Through diverse artistic languages and multidisciplinary practices, the exhibition creates a shared space that values interiority, opacity, and listening over spectacle, while positioning Tanzania more prominently within the international contemporary art scene. It argues that art goes beyond documenting reality, instead uncovering hidden, spiritual, and metaphysical dimensions that challenge conventional ways of seeing the world. Ultimately, the exhibition becomes an immersive and reflective environment that encourages dialogue, curiosity, and a deeper understanding of the subtle “minor frequencies” shaping both the nation and human experience.

Valerie Asiimwe Amani's work delves into myth making and collective imagination as a tool for creating tangible realities. Aiming to centralise African epistemologies as a lens in which to interpret the world and its various realities; specifically departing from the institutional knowledge perpetuated by ‘The Church’, ‘The Museum’ and ‘The Library’, her research utilises artmaking, language and body as a means to excavate memories held within folklore, poetry and oral histories. Valerie's multi-media installation in the Tanzaninan Pavilion is titled The Dream Depository// Ndoto Zako Zita Fufuka, and includes a participatory live sound element made in collaboration with composer Jason Langheim. 

Find out more about the Tanzanian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale: https://www.tanzanianationalpavilion.com/

Visit until 22nd November, 2026