The jury cited Walter for “the radical and complex nature of his work, which transcends our time and suggests the contemporary mutation of a transitory life.”

The 57th Venice Biennale is comprised of 86 national pavilions and the curated main show, titled “Arte Viva Arte” with works by 120 artists from 51 countries. Anne Imhof’s bold “Faust” exhibit mixing performance, sculpture and installation with touches of goth and S&M was cited by the jury as a “a powerful and disturbing installation that poses urgent questions of our time and pushes the spectator into an aware state of anxiety.”

In Imhof’s exhibition, black-clad contemporaries of the 39-year-old artist move above and below a raised glass floor, under which are placed scattered objects, including a black mattress with a strewn sheet, handcuffs and spoons.
The Venice Biennale awards its top prize, the Golden Lion for best national participation, to German artist and choreographer Anne Imhoff for her total totalitarianism exhibition "Faust."