Adrian Ghenie, Darwin's room

At this year’s Venice Biennale, the Romanian Pavilion in the Giardini showcases Darwin’s Room, an exhibition of paintings by Adrian Ghenie. The title refers not only to a recent series of superb portraits of (and self-portraits as) the great British naturalist, but also to Ghenie’s exploration of twentieth-century history as an “evolutionary laboratory,” with the seminal ideologies as “species” fighting for survival—a fascinating interweaving of past and future histories. In just a few years, Ghenie has developed a unique artistic language, combining a spontaneous, sensual, multilayered “joie de peindre” with a keen reflection on how the contemporary is shaped by memory and desire. This handsome book assembles all paintings presented in Venice and a wealth of essays and interviews that underline Ghenie’s standing as one of the most significant painters of his generation.