La Biennale -
Third episode of “La Biennale on Air”
An unreleased Pasolini (a 1974 audio excerpt from the Historical Archive) and a tribute by Willem Dafoe to the great poet. Further contributions by Malika Ayane, Dwayne Johnson, and a conversation with the humanoid robot Alter3.
Third episode
A previously unreleased 1974 audio excerpt of Pier Paolo Pasolini, from the Historical Archive of La Biennale di Venezia, and a tribute by Willem Dafoe to the great poet in the third episode of La Biennale on Air. The new episode of the Podcast created by La Biennale is online for listening starting today, Thursday 27 November 2025, on the major platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music – Audible and YouTube) and on the website of La Biennale di Venezia (La Biennale on Air).
The third episode of La Biennale on Air dedicates a wide-ranging tribute to Pier Paolo Pasolini on the 50th anniversary of his death, with a previously unreleased audio excerpt from the Historical Archive of La Biennale from a conference which the poet and filmmaker from Bologna held in Venice in 1974, titled Cinema: industria e cultura, in which he reflected on the dichotomy of cinema between artwork and commodity. Furthermore, the American actor and Director of Biennale Teatro Willem Dafoe, who starred in Abel Ferrara’s film Pasolini (2014), talks about his relationship with Pasolini and with his films, in an intervention that offers a perspective of the utmost prestige on the man.
The episode is enriched with a contribution by singer and songwriter Malika Ayane, one of the artists in the Special Project of the Historical Archive Arcipelago Battiato, a tribute to the composer and philosopher Franco Battiato, held on 17 and 18 November 2025. The singer-songwriter talks about the difficult task of taking on a giant of music and thought such as Battiato.
This is followed by an experiment that originated in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, curated by Carlo Ratti, which closed on 23 November: a dialogue between the humanoid robot Alter3 and one of its developers, the scientist and linguist Luc Steels. The result of this conversation which defies the limits of the human seeks to answer the question: can an android powered by artificial intelligence achieve self-awareness?
The episode ends with an excerpt by American actor Dwayne Johnson from the press conference of the film The Smashing Machine by Benny Safdie, Silver Lion at Venezia 82 and now in theatres, and a presentation of the coming 61st International Art Exhibition – In Minor Keys curated by Koyo Kouoh.
The Podcast La Biennale on Air is released monthly in the form of audio episodes in English and offers access to all the Departments of La Biennale, sharing the content of the Exhibitions, Festivals, Special Projects and collections of the Historical Archive with contributions recorded by the Artistic Directors, artists, filmmakers, performers and other figures from the world of culture.
La Biennale on Air is a Podcast of La Biennale di Venezia.
