I arrived Venice Marco Polo Airport late Friday evening and stayed at Annia Park Hotel near the airport for the night. Bright and earlier, the next day, I checked out and took the hotel shuttle service to get the Vaporetto to Arsenale. The trip took over an hour, which was longer than anticipated. I could not believe how humid it was, good thing I was appropriately dressed for the weather and I had water with me. Here are some gorgeous sites en-route.
The Venice Biennale is held across two main locations the Gairdini and Arsenale. The Arsenale is home to 31 countries that do not have a permanent Pavilion at Giardini, the main location for the event. Click here to read about my tour of the Giardini.
This year’s biennale saw works of 89 artists exhibiting for the first time out of the 136 artists that took part in the entire event. This also included 44 Collateral events by non-profit organisations presented around the city.
The Arsenale was my first point of call during my 48 hour visit to Venice and here are my highlights.
On arrival, I expected the Arsenale to be much busier, but I presume most people would have visited at the beginning of the event in May and June.
As I made my way through the entrance,
I thought it was best I refueled as it was going to be a long day. I made my way to the Biennale store, where they had a café, books and souvenirs. Glancing up at the ceiling where these balloon like bulbs hanging from the ceiling adding to the creative ambiance of the vicinity.
Bruce Nauman
After a few bites I made my way towards the entrance of a somewhat derelict warehouse building. My ticket was checked and I went through the barriers and my exploration began. On entry. I was greeted by a dark room with the neon illuminated works of Bruce Nauman of the United States, which reminded me of the cycle of life and the different emotions we go through as we journey through life. I did noticed the beginning of life ‘Birth’ was missing in the works of Nauman.
Adel Abdessemed
Also exhibiting in the same space as Bruce Nauman was the works of Adel Abdessemed. An Algerian Artist, exhibiting his works titled Nymphaes (Water lilies), which means literally planting knives into the ground like a bouquet. I digested his works through my preconceived filters and thought of the physical use of a cutlass in agriculture in some rural parts of the world, where primitive tools are still used. It also brought back memories of the use of swords in brutal killings when I was growing up as a child. Interesting how a piece of art can bring forth buried memories. I also observed how the handles of the knives complemented the neon colours in Nauman’s works.
Out of context Art
I navigated through the corridor and rooms and I enjoyed the presentation of recycled objects taken out of their natural environments and presented in an artistic form.
Art I did not understand
These pieces got my attention, but I must say I did not get it. I am sure there was some meaning behind the work, It was not intriguing enough for me to find out. Did you see this at the Venice Biennale? What did you think about this installation? Please share in the comment section.
Katharina Grosse
The works of Grosse was captivating, I must have spent the longest time in the vicinity of her work. I was fascinated by the explosion of colour and the use of every surface as a canvas. The collision of colours was visually vibrate and had a soothing effect. The atmosphere was cool and calming around this creation. This was one of my favourite works at the biennale.
Georg Baselitz
I immediately recognised the large scale works of Georg Baselitz. I had seen his work at the Bass Museum in Miami. As usual, the paintings were humongous and even mote impressive second time round. Click here to read my exploration at the Bass Museum in Miami where I saw his works.
Ireland at Venice 2015. Works by Sean Lynch. Titled Adventure: Capital
Initially when I saw the Sculptures and fruit I was dismissive and thought what an odd presentation, but odd is good in my books. I wondered what the artist or curator was trying to communicate.
As my mind pondered, I heard this deep alluring voice, which drew me to a projector screen. The feminine voice emitting from the speakers talked about the creative process and inspiration behind the sculptures and the different materials taken from the earth all put together, rising to one formation.
This made me sit down to hear more. Her use of language and narrative was captivating and made me appreciate the work so much more. This made me look at sculptures in a different way, as I tend to be drawn towards paintings. I was so intrigue, I wanted to watch and listen to the clip over and over again. I made a mental note to find out if I could find it on the web.
Pavilion of Slovenia
There was a calming feeling in this space, with instrumental music playing, which connected me even more to the space. The base from the music came at the right moment in rhythm to my heart beat. This installation definitely needs to be experience to feel the effect.
Here is a close up of the Piano
I really like the idea of the water in 3 triangles where you can hear and see the vibration. I engaged most of my senses while consuming the works presented before me.
Title: Utter/The Violent of necessity for the embodied presence of Hope
Th project presented in the Pavilion of Slovenia was created by Jasa. It is conceived as a spatial installation and on-site performance that will bind the artist, his collaborators and the public together for the duration of the Biennale. The artist states ““It is my goal to use the Slovenian Pavilion as a platform to confront an international audience with the overall project experience as a living functional mechanism driven by the solidarity of all elements involved: installation, visual elements, lighting, projections, sound, and performance” source: The Marignoli di Montecorona Foundation
Mozambique Pavilion
It was interesting to see a wide range of 2 and 3 dimensional works from Mozambique, showing its diverse culture and traditions.
I was most fascinated by the sculptures head made from painted cactus wood, with actual human hair, which you do not tend to see very often. It freaked me out a little bit, as it looked like a real human head that had been preserved and used in black magic rituals.
The exhibition was devoted to beliefs, ritual and traditions and how it influences social structures of the community, lifestyle nowadays in Mozambique.
Gonçalo Mabunda
I appreciate the alternative use of destructive weapons as functional artistic creations as demonstrated in the works of Mabunda . Gonçalo Mabunda is a mixed media sculptor whose creations examines the collective memory of nations recovering from conflicts.
More recently, his works was reported in the press, about how the US government did not see Mabunda’s work as art, which was interesting. It was reported that a collector bought his works from Mozambique, but it was confiscated by US customs, as it was considered to be firearms and the collector required a license. The collector was asked to dismantle the works before it can be brought into the country, the case is still pending. Click here to read the full article.
Kutlug Ataman
You could not help but admire the creativity and the detail that went into the works of Ataman creating a wavelike formation of miniature portraits. Imagine such an amazing creation hanging from your ceiling like a chandelier in your dwelling.
The works titled The Portrait of Sakip Sabanci 2014 is homage to a Turkish business man and philanthropist who passed away in 2014. The installation is made up of 10,000 LCD panels comprising of miniature Portraits of the people who knew Sabanci and the people he touched through his philanthropy works. Some of the portraits can also be found on the walls as well. Fascinating! What a legacy to have, Sabanci was described as a larger than life character. May his soul rest in peace.
Ataman is Turkish. He lives and works in the United States.
Xu Bing
The monumental works of Xu Bing could be seen from afar, as I drew closer my eyes were in for a feast of looking at the large structure made of recycled materials hanging over the water, which looked like a huge bird about to take off in a SCI-FI movie.
Title: The Phoenix
Some more monumental works from XU Bing
South Africa Pavilion
There was a good mix of works within the South African Pavilion. I was drawn to the works below. For me it was symbolic of the complex narrative around afro hair and femininity, which I do not think was the artist intention.
The piece below also got my attention, which was made out of the decommissioned Zimbabwean dollars. It reminded me of the works of a young architecture I met during trip to Harare Zimbabwe. She created a masterpiece of a portrait using Zimbabwean dollars.
Here are some more works from the South African Pavilion.
UAE Pavilion
I found the works from the UAE aesthetically pleasing and non-confrontational. You could live with these pieces hanging in your living room.
Unique Sculptures
I have always wondered what it will feel like if the human body was structured in a way that allowed you to either sit on your bottom or your front bits to alleviate back pain. These unique sculpture brought my weird imagination to light.
Some more interesting sculptures by the same artist
Jason Moran
You could not help but notice this large black and gold stage/Shelter in the corner of the space. On first impression I thought it was works from the middle east, based on the black and gold colours. STAGED is a mixed media installation that recreates architectural elements from two historic New York City jazz spaces. Moran is an artist well known for her pioneering work in video and performance.
Staged – Savoy Ballroom 1, 2015 representing the United States
I like the way this piece blends in with the bare brick wall.
These works were created by Mário Macilau. His photography artwork focuses on political, social and cultural issues, linked to the radical transformations of the human kind in time and space. In his photography, he deals with the complex reality of human labor and the environmental conditions evolving over the times, using the images he captures as a form of visual confrontation that state a line of reflection to the reality.
I found his black and white works impressive. The large floor to ceiling frames that encased the monochrome images in a dark room were unique and made it stand out.
Macilau work was featured in The Pavilion of the Holy See with 2 other artist. The exhibition’s theme was titled: In the Beginning … the Word became flesh.
Mário Macilau (1984), was born in 1984. He lives and works in Mozambique.
Chris Ofili
It took me a while to find his works, which occupied its own space with no distractions. Ofili is a ground-breaking British Artist, who is known for using alternative materials. E.g. Elephant Dung, which he discovered on a formative trip to Zimbabwe.
Ofili works incorporates pop references and diasporic aesthetics, but his recent works engages with the history of western painters, as demonstrated on his commissioned series for the London national gallery and the Royal Opera House.
Here is a close up look at the works.
Here is another image to give you a feel for the monumental size of the works. Look at the painting in comparison to the door. Huge!!
Ofili is a British Artist. He lives and works in Trinidad.
There was so much to see, within a short space of time. You definitely need more than one visit to fully digest the works in its entirety, if that is even possible. That’s it for now. Hope you’ve enjoyed the post. Please share and comment. See you at the next Biennale in 2017.
Click here to read about my Exploration at the Venice Biennale – Gardini.
