DESASTRES

This year, The Australia Council, the bigwigs who get the final say on who represents Australia at the Biennale, made the commendable decision of opting for a pretty audacious, experimental installation. 
In selecting artist Marco Fusinato to represent Australia this year, they essentially allow the Australian pavilion to deliver the Biennale's one, true rock star moment of the year.
Of all the shows that I saw this year, DESASTRES felt the edgiest.
It was, at least, the closest any national pavilion got to offering up a truly experimental experience.

While there's much to marvel at in this show; the technology adopted, the minimalistic presentation, and the way the fiercely performative aspect comes across, even without the artist present, this won't be a show for everyone.
Those looking for more traditional artistic media might struggle with the fact that the imagery in show was originally drawn from a series of word based searches.
They might find issue with the noise or the unpredictable nature of the project, especially because throughout the Biennale, Fusinato, will randomly perform with an electric guitar at some point each day.
Overall, DESASTRES seems designed to be an encounter where the sound and images are discordant, and where visitors will be invited to interpret them, but only above the din, confusion and the fuss that the noise and performances are essentially designed to provoke.
The images used in DESASTRES draw from an archive that Fusinato has collected and curated for years, sometimes representing perilous or violent moments in the world's recent history, sometimes not.
They are displayed across a huge LED screen and, were all black and white, at least for the time I spent in the pavilion.
Fusinato, a long practicising multimedia artist based in Australia, has a connection to the Veneto region (his parents were born there) and has partnered with curator Alexie Glass-Kantor for this the show.
Readers in Melbourne (and Australia) might already be familiar with Fusinato and, with Glass-Kantor, who has her own ongoing connection to experimental art; before moving to Sydney, she was a curator at Gertrude Street Gallery, an artist run initiative which was considered one of the pre-eminent spaces for contemporary and experimental art in Australia.
PRACTICALS
You'll need a ticket to Giardini to see this exhibition.
The combination of sound and imagery here is pretty hypnotising.
Tip: upon entering, ask the staff whether Marco has already performed for the day.
Artist: Marco Fusinato
Curator; Alexie Glass-Kantor
Australia's Venice Biennale 2022 page is here.