Visual artist Martin Boyce represented Scotland at the 53rd International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, the world’s largest and most prestigious showcase for contemporary visual arts.

The exhibition, No Reflections curated by Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) took place at the Palazzo Pisani (S.Marina) from 7 June – 22 November 2009.

In a series of new works developed specifically for presentation in Venice, Martin Boyce devised an installation for seven inter-connected rooms of the second floor of the 15th century Palazzo Pisani.

The artist transformed the fading grandeur of this palace with suspended, geometric chandeliers, sculptural autumn leaves, stepping stones, brass letters, tables and benches - all altered from the everyday into an atmospheric, poetic landscape. Boyce set out to ‘delve into the city’s interior landscape’ and with this exhibition he conflated the internal and external and echoed the labyrinthine nature of Venice, creating a heightened sense of displacement and abandonment.

According to Martin Boyce, 'the exhibition was inspired by amongst other things the idea of an abandoned zoo, or a secret lost garden. It is the dried up pool that gives the show its title.'

No Reflections is the fourth presentation from the Scotland and Venice partnership comprising the Scottish Arts Council, National Galleries of Scotland and the British Council. It built on the critical success of previous projects which have promoted artists including Turner Prize winner Simon Starling and Turner Prize nominees, Cathy Wilkes, Jim Lambie and Lucy Skaer.

The exhibition was re-presented in Scotland from the 12 December 2009 – 14 February 2010 at Dundee Contemporary Arts marking the culmination of the venue’s 10th anniversary year.