"Although John Cale is best known as a founder of the band the Velvet Underground, it was announced last week that he will represent the Welsh Pavilion at the contemporary art Venice Biennale. Born in Wales, Cale studied music at Goldsmiths College in London before traveling to New York, where he created the Velvet Underground with Lou Reed. He also collaborated with musicians such as Patti Smith, The Stooges, and Happy Mondays, as well as having a solo career.
Cale's work at the biennale will be a collaboration with artists, filmmakers, and poets, with the main focus of the piece on his relationship with the Welsh language. Cale said he was "surprised and honored" to be chosen to represent Wales. He added, "It offers an occasion to address certain pernicious issues in my background that had lain dormant for so long. There are certain experiences uniquely suited to the exorcism of mixed media, and I am grateful for this opportunity to address them."Alun Ffred Jones, heritage minister in the Welsh assembly, said, "John Cale is a bard in the widest sense — an artistic craftsman whose work is firmly rooted in Wales's cultural history."
To learn more: www.labiennale.org/en
