As a lucky recipient of the a-n bursary to visit this year’s Venice Biennale, I was keen to explore as much of Venice in my scheduled three days as my feet could manage. I naively assumed I could walk between venues and take in the architectural wonders en-route, but getting completely lost on my first foray forced a change of tactic and a three day water bus pass was duly purchased.
Wednesday 10th May
My first full day started with a pre-booked trip to the Damien Hirst exhibition ‘Wreck of the Unbelievable’ (the clue lies in the title of this curious theme park), but as with many of the exhibits around Venice, the interiors of the classical Venetian buildings provide a cultural distraction. An adjacent church to the Plasso Grassi entrance is Evan Penny’s ‘Ask Your Body’. This intimate venue, one of many deconsecrated churches opening their doors to artists, offers synergy with the realistic fleshy content of his work. It was on my journey to the second Hirst extravaganza at Porta della Dogama that I came across ‘Objection’ by Ponte te Accadademia. This was my first experience of a Venetian home with site-specific installations. I was offered a guided tour of the house which provided a better understanding of the powerfully intimate nature of each room setting. The two artists, Ekin Onat (b.Turkey) and Michal Cole (b.Israel) have embraced nearly every room of this wonderful location. This is a beautiful ‘Pavilion of Humanity’. The meticulously executed pieces set the stage for quiet protest against political regimes that send ripples beyond the still canal waters.
I managed to gain access into the Venezia Giardini in time for the grand opening of Phyllida Barlow’s ‘folly’. The classical garden tea house of the British Pavilion provides the stage for Phyllida’s monumental sculptures that fill each room to the rafters with towering structures like a colossal stage set. It is fun and exudes a playful approach, spilling into the outside space. Incidentally, I had an fortunate encounter with Phyllida and was able to steal a few words to discuss her opening speech and discovered she was relieved it was over and not her responsibility anymore!
Later that day, following the party atmosphere of the ‘Diasporas’ opening night which I left before the excitement of the live entertainment, came across ‘Man as Bird’ with the Pushkin State Museum of Fine arts Collective. There was an interesting encounter with an elderly local woman fighting her way home through a large crowd waiting to access the ‘Diasporas’. She resorted to raising her walking stick aloft, threatening to use it if we did’t clear a path to her front door. This episode highlighted the practicalities of thousands of visitors crammed into tiny alleyways, hindering the local daily routines. There was nothing lost in translation with the old woman’s threats being understood by the bemused international crowd! Regarding the ‘Man and Bird’ event around the corner, I found many interesting installations and contemporary pieces within the rooms of this splendid building, presented with girls sprouting angel wings.
Thursday 11th May
The day started cold and windy, so I took advantage and experimented with some performance art using white material in exposed areas before heading to the Arsenale. There is a lot to take in walking through this long building where I found a couple of pieces that drew my attention. Firstly Liliana Porter’s clever arrangement of random consumer products, interspersed with miniature figures making a valid comment on waste and the huge impact it is having on the environment. Alicja Kwade’s natural sculpture forms, set within frames and mirrored walls, allowed the public to walk through the area and interact with the space. New Zealand’s super wide screen offered a novel film experience of live action scenes scrolling across the screen with continuous action.
I eventually took a small water bus to the Giardini
for a second viewing and found more interesting exhibits. The Central Pavilion not only provided shelter from the rain but drawings by Ciprian Muresan, a gripping film by Taus Makhacheva and Reymond Hains’ social commentary on consumerism and marketing. Isreal’s Gal Weinstein creates several site-specific installations taking the visitor on a journey up to a magical cloud base. The Japan and German Pavilions provide fascinating spaces with France appealing to sound enthusiast through a wood-filled acoustic space.
Friday 12th May
Friday began with a search for the Scottish film by Rachel Maclean in a church north of the city. ‘Spite Your Face’ references the story of Pinocchio but with a more sinister tale of contemporary political rhetoric and the morality of our commercial world. Watch for the scene where Pic is taken to an elevated world by a figure represented in the side crypt of the church, a nice touch! I was able to witness the installation of giant hands emerging from the canal to support the walls of a building. This spectacular piece near Ca’ D’oro vaporetto stop is by Lorenzo Quinn drawing awareness to climate changes. I took the water bus from here to continue my journey around Venice presenting me with many photographic opportunities, including the site of two gigantic cruise ships casting a shadow over St.Marks Square. I took a small detour to Campiello S. Vidal again and found the Cuba Pavilion which had a wonderful array of site-specific installations utilising the many palatial rooms. There was great use of the reading rooms with illuminated sample jars presented with sensitivity. I eventually arrived at the end of the line just off a busy Ponte della Paglia and headed towards a huge billboard advertising the Mostra exhibition in the church of Santa Maria Della Pieta. The Bosnian artist, Safet Zec draws parallels with biblical stories by painting ‘Exodus’ on canvases of glued newspapers. The scenes of refugee boat people hang around the church on an impressive scale and are finely painted. Around the corner from here I came across the Mongolia Pavilion and in particular a video installation by Enkhtaivan Ochirbat entitled ‘Karma’. The piece comprises a projected desert floor and a chair housing a goldfish questioning our fragile existence. The Andorra Pavilion can be found in the same vicinity and offers a delightful installation of clay bowls thrown by Eve Ariza, emitting a natural resonance for meditation. The final pavilion experienced on my last day (appropriately my birthday), was the Ryszard Winiarski preview party. This Polish artist had first exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1966 and is celebrated for his kinetic pieces in relief and mathematical board games. It is debatable if it can be classed as art, but since his death in 2006 he has been recognised for his contributions to modern day binary and QR codes. The Polish after party was an enjoyable end to an inspirational few days.


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