Ever since I could remember, Vincent has wanted to attend the Venice Biennale, the bi-annual international art fair in Venice. We thought when we moved here we would go but eight years later it still didn’t happen. I took the bull by the horns this year and surprised Vincent for his birthday by arranging a trip last month. It was a total surprise and the only thing I told Vincent was the dates we were going so he could block it off on his schedule and the weather so he knew what to pack. On the morning of his birthday, I handed him his airline ticket in the taxi on the way to the airport. I couldn’t believe I pulled it off, showing restraint for so many months by keeping my big mouth shut. Of course he was thrilled and delighted.
Our last trip to Venice was in 2000 and we received the VIP treatment because some friends of ours had a film in the Venice Film Festival. We were treated to film screenings, a fancy dinner overlooking the Grand Canal at one of the best restaurants in Venice and whisked away in private water taxis, so I wasn’t sure how I was going to top that experience.
We arrived on a clear, sunny Saturday afternoon and took a water taxi from the airport. The wind hitting our bodies felt great and a few times a mist of water refreshed our faces. After spotting an arresting sculpture (first photo above) of a head of a man with woman’s breasts, no arms, and baby’s legs as we approached the mainland, we knew we were in for something special.
There are two main venues for the Biennale, the Giardini and the Arsenale. The Venice Biennale appoints a different head curator for each addition and for 2013 it was Italian curator Massimiliano Gioni. The title chosen was Il Palazzo Enciclopedico / The Encyclopedic Palace, named after a project by artist Marino Auriti that imagined with an actual scale model (exhibited at the biennale for the exhibition) a museum called The Encyclopedic Palace of the World meant to house all the world's knowledge. The Giardini houses 30 permanent national pavilions from different countries, where each nation chooses their own curator.
Sunday we covered the Giardini and I had a total flashback of the thrill of going to the New York World’s Fair in 1965 when I was a kid except this time the pavilions from different lands were filled with incredible art instead of cheesy life-like figures singing the inane It’s a Small World After All. Some of our favorites were the Danish Pavilion with the mind-blowing videos, Intercourses, by Jesper Just, the American pavilion with Triple Point, the eclectic world of everyday objects created by Sarah Sze, and the strong design and sculptural elements of wood and stone in the Dutch Pavilion by Mark Manders, titled Room with Broken Sentence. Video was a prolific medium at the Biennale. Anri Sala’s “Ravel Ravel Unravel”, represented the French with two videos focusing on a single piece of music, Ravel’s 1930 “Concerto D for the Left Hand”. The first film, divided into two screens, concentrate on the left hand of pianists Louis Lortie and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet with the Orchestre National de France playing in the background. The second part, Unravel, finds Chloe, a DJ, mixing Lortie and Bavouzet's versions of the concerto.
On Tuesday we went to the Arsenale, a massive 82,000 square foot hangar-like space, which housed a mix of contemporary and modern art with various artists selected by the head curator and his appointed curators. Artists include Hilma af Klint, Carl Andre, Ed Atkins, Marino Auriti, James Lee Byars, Stefan Bertalan, Walter De Maria, Duane Hanson, René Iché, Kan Xuan, Helen Marten, Matthew Monahan, Ron Nagle, Cindy Sherman, Richard Serra, and Charles Ray.
Stay put in your gondolas because the next few days will be all about glorious Venice.
2103 Venice Biennale- till November 24, 2013
http://www.labiennale.org/en/biennale/index.html
Sarah Sze, American Pavilion
Sarah Sze, American Pavilion
Sarah Sze, American Pavilion
Vincent
Jesper Just, Danish Pavilion
Anri Sala, French Pavilion
I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.
Tours cost 210 euros for up to 3 people, and 70 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
New Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale
I am happy to announce the sale of a new set of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos. I am offering 20 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.
Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.