« March 2009 | Main | January 2010 »

June 27, 2009

VENICE BIENNALE 2009

I seem to have become a frequent visitor of Venice. Elemental part of the charm of this overly touristic group of islands is a room with a view in Arsenale. I ”inherited” this view from an Italian friend long ago and keep on coming back. From the room number 2 I can see, hear and smell the Lagoon. The parade of the guests of the Biennale opening, who endlessly walk up and down the waterfront, is kind of a spectacle in itself. The Art World passes by and I forget the time.

Last time I visited Venice 2007 I saw an exceptional installation in Palazzo Fortuny, former home of a versatile artist and designer Marino Fortuny. The exhibition was titled ARTEMPO – Where Time Becomes Art. The old rustic palace offered an extraordinary back round to a superb collection of art and objects from ancient to contemporary time. The collector behind the project is Axel Vervoordt from Belgium.

The motto of the exhibition was from Albert Einstein:
”The most beautiful experience we can have is the Mysterious.
It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and science. ”

In 2009 I went back to the mysterious Palazzo and spent several meditative hours in the IN-FINITY exhibition. This year more floors were opened but the magic of time was still there.

In Giardini I found the national pavilions of Netherlands and Poland excellent and somehow related to Fortuny´s human time perspective. Fiona Tan´s stunning video installation Disoriented is based on stories of Marco Polo. The voice of the story teller reaches us from year 1295 but the rough and dreamy videos are from the silk roads of today. How little human life has changed during 700 years!

After days of walking and seeing more art than one can digest I decided to take a boat and spend one slow day with Italian friend in the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Just to calibrate the senses. In a huge Benedictine abbey Peter Greenaway brings Paolo Veronese´s painting ”The Wedding of Cana” back to life. With a little help of digital technology the painting turned theater.

How strange was to step out from the chapel and see San Marco on front. Doge´s palace is under renovation and now half covered with Sisley´s enormous advertisement. Three modern beauties approach the skies of Venice through golden frames. The merchants of Venice are working hard.

Posted by marita at 01:06 PM