Tuesday, 25 March 2008

Venice Biennale 2007 - Better late than never

OK, it was September last year but I've been kind of busy and had some IT problems - such as losing all my notes from the Biennale. I've also just lost the post I started on this. Go figure.

Anyhow, Biennale in Venice. Amazing art from all over the world in one place (well, two big areas with some scattered amongst buildings in the city).

The best exhibitions I thought were the ones by Mexico and South Korea. The Mexican work was video installations employing security technology such as motion and heat sensors to allow interaction with the work - so you enter a room of chairs and they start to rise and fall as you walk around them (see video below). Best bit was a room with projections of people asleep on the floor - as your shadow hits them they wake up and wave, smile etc. Er, you had to be there. Anyhow, his name's Rafael Lozano-Hemmer so Google him and see his work if you get the chance.




The Taiwanese work was a load of rubbish. Literally. Various bits of rubbish such as old TVs, plastic bags, fans etc wired up and (hard to describe, see video below!)







What else can I remember?

Kept bumping into Jeroen Krabbe - Dutch actor/director best known for his work in early Paul Verhoeven films or for playing the villain in "The Fugitive"- in main pavillion. Wasn't actually stalking him

British pavillion - Tracey Emin - and some bizarre merchandising such as a stick on tattoo of an Emin drawing of what can only be described as a bird perched on a penis. I have two (copies of the tattoo) so if anyone wants one send an SAE to the Sky Arts address..

Sam Taylor-Wood - why was her work in the Ukranian exhibition?

Christ on a bike. Or at least a jet (see right)























Sophie Calle. Something to do with a letter and being dumped. Lots of famous women reacting to reading said letter. Sponsored by Chanel.

Crass piece inspired by 9/11 - plane on a stick flies past some sky scrapers before crashing. One of the first pieces I see. Heart sinks. Close by is the Jesus jet. Not a great start. Maybe I just don't like art with planes.

This amazing piece was one of the highlights






To get a sense of it, here's the detail


















Interactive art - in this case a giant dartboard


















The Brazilian exhibition... closed



















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A new piece by a promising young talent

















Who preferred puddles, cats, ice cream and chasing pigeons

















Transcendental Realism - The Art of Adi Da Samraj


















Quandra Contemplating the Fruits of Perfect Knowledge.

This guy's work was the first thing I saw. Having lost my notes I don't have anything except a rather glossy press pack. So, on the grounds that they gave me that I've included a mention. Which I just did.

Final pics

the British Pavillion

















Crazy bird-headed people in the Canadian pavillion (a homage to Chicken Lady in "Kids in the Hall"?)

Taiwanese sculpture




















Smug Sky Arts employee in hat (note gondolers for authenticity)




















and, finally, a giant Zippo