Susan Mains, Curator

Short Biography

The art practise of Susan Mains has been by necessity auto-didactic. Growing up in Grenada there weren’t resources for art education, Her university, graduate and post graduate degrees were all focused in the area of education. While living in Dominica in the 1980s a relentless pursuit of art became her mission. For the past 30 years she has been primarily a painter, exploring surface, texture, intensity, and has more recently turned to video and installation to achieve a wider range of possibilities of the visual.

Mains’ curatorial practise has also been auto-didactic, again by necessity. Without strong institutional support in a small island, artist often have to take leadership. Organizing group shows form Grenada, she has taken contemporary work to the Caribbean Region, including the Museum of Modern Art in Santo Domingo for several Caribbean Biennales. Her efforts have included exhibitions at the OAS Museum in Washington DC, and the World Expo in Shanghai China in 2010. She writes about the art of the small islands of the Eastern Caribbean, and has presented papers in academic conferences world wide. She has operated her own commercial gallery in Grenada, Art and Soul, for the past 13 years.

Francesco Elisei, Curator

Short Biography

Francesco Elisei independent curator was founded in 1974 and specializes in contemporary art history at the University La Sapienza of Rome, has curated exhibitions in Italy, New York, Tokyo, Osaka, Toronto. He has written numerous essays and published several catalogs national and international. In 2007 he started in the Venice Biennale in curatorial path, taking care of the Moldovan Pavilion 52th Venice Biennale in 2009 he edited the pavilion “Nature and Dreams” IILA / Costa Rica to 53 Bi-ennale of Venice, in 2011 he edited the pavilion of the Republic of Costa Rica to the 54th Venice Biennale, in 2013 the 55th Venice Biennale oversaw the pavilion of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, the Republic of Costa Rica and event collateral Back Back to the Biennial dedicated to the world of writing and street art. In 2015 the 56 th Venice Biennale has been appointed to ensure the pavilion of Grenada.

Francesco Elisei
Francesco Elisei curatore indipendente nasce nel 1974 e si specializza in storia dell’arte contemporanea presso l’Università La Sapienza di Roma, ha curato mostre in Italia, New York, Tokyo, Osaka, Toronto. Ha scritto numerosi saggi e pubblicato diversi cataloghi nazionali ed internazionali. Nel 2007 ha in iniziato il percorso curatoriale in Biennale di Venezia curando il Padiglione moldavo alla 52th Biennale di Venezia, nel 2009 ha curato il padiglione «Natura e Sogni» IILA/Costa Rica alla 53 Bi-ennale di Venezia, nel 2011 ha curato il padiglione della Repubblica di Costa Rica alla 54 Biennale di Venezia, nel 2013 alla 55th Biennale di Venezia ha curato il padiglione della Repubblica Popolare del Bangladesh, della Repubblica di Costa Rica e dell’evento collaterale Back Back to Biennale dedicato al mondo del writing e della street art. Nel 2015 alla 56th Biennale di Venezia è stato incaricato di curare il padiglione di Grenada