Nebraska’s Francisco Souto was presented the Lorenzo il Magnifico Award for works on paper at the 12th edition of the Florence Biennale, which was held in October.

Souto, director of the School of Art, Art History and Design, was one of 480 artists from 76 countries and four continents represented at the Florence Biennale, a major contemporary art exhibition in Florence, Italy, which is regarded as an outstanding showcase of the international contemporary art production.

Every two years the Florence Biennale enlivens the Medicean city with a program of events, including conferences, displays, performances, workshops and lectures. All this with a view to offer artists and their audience the opportunity to engage with art and culture and learn more about the theme of each edition of the biennial.

“It is a big deal and quite the honor,” Souto said. “The participation to the biennale is by invitation only. I received a personal e-mail from the director of the Florence Biennale inviting me to participate. When you show your work internationally, it calls the attention of the experts in the field, and that is very stimulating.”

Francisco Souto | Fine and Performing Arts

Detail of Francisco Souto's "Little Bird," which was featured in the biennale exhibition.

Souto showed four works at the biennale, including “Little Bird (Pajarito),” which came from his exhibition titled “Dicotomias” (Dichotomies). He spent a week at the biennale with support from the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts.

“One of the five international jurors said it was refreshing to see a body of work that required so much attention from the viewer,” he said. “As you pay attention to the piece, the content engulfed you. I was appreciative of that comment. As you know, a lot of contemporary art is pretty loud. I’m not making a judgment call here, but my work is not. Even though the content is pretty strong, the delivery is soft spoken. For me it was really important to compete at that level and get recognized for it, ultimately that’s the power of the work.”

The work was exhibited in the Spadolini Pavilion at the Fortezza da Basso, a Renaissance masterpiece of military architecture, that has been the main center for exhibitions in Florence since 1967.

Video: Faculty 101 with Francisco Souto

Souto has taught the summer education abroad course, “Florence and Venice: Interdisciplinary Art and Culture,” so being in Florence has special meaning to him.

“As you know, we cannot go back to our home country anymore because of its current condition,” Souto said. “I have been to Florence about six or seven times, so every time I go, it feels like going home, in a sense. I know the city; I know the people. It feels homey.”

Souto was born in Venezuela and received his Master of Fine Arts from Ohio State University. His current drawings are visual testimonies of the social and economic reality that is eroding Venezuela. The fundamental preoccupation is the lack of empathy that pervades public life leading to conditions of increased brutality.

Souto’s work has been exhibited widely around the world, and his accolades include more than 45 national and international awards and honors.