The original raison d'être (reason for being) of the Venice Biennale is to be a platform for Contemporary Art. It was intended to provide a regular, biennial platform for the discussion and exhibition of contemporary art practices, which were not typically represented in fine arts museums at the time. Let’s presume this mission statement is the true raison d'être. Alma Allen’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Palm Springs Art Museum in California.
Alma Allen's bio from ARTSY: https://www.artsy.net/artist/alma-allen
I can appreciate the craftsmanship and his choice of materials, but some of them look like chrome-plated “Tumors,” and others look like gilded detritus of smashed-up auto-body scraps. Am I jealous of this guy? — Yes, I want a foundry and factory too, but as for his vision and ideas, NO! — The New York Times described the shapes as "sensuous biomorphic forms," and 2014 Whitney Biennial co-curator Michelle Grabner selected three of Allen's large-scale sculptures for inclusion in the 2014 Biennial.
I perfectly understand why Trump chose this artist. Trump owns a gold-plated toilet and allegedly gilded molding purchased from a Home Depot catalog as decor for the Oval Office. To be fair, during a recent interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham, Trump explicitly stated: "No, this is not Home Depot stuff," and "You can't imitate gold.” Well… you can imitate gold, and it is called gilding, but even if what they used is genuine gold leaf, it is still gilding. Trump is obviously fulfilled by facades and seemingly adores gilding, as does Allen Alma. (“Great minds think alike?” ) Maybe gilding is the message in Allen Alma’s work, and maybe gilding what is not gold is Trump’s raison d'être.