Venezia Art Day 3, Biennale Day 2

 Venezia Art Day 3

The surprises keep coming, and today in Venice it was exceptional:

THB has been using the Rio technique of daily travel: no wallet, just an ID (pic of his passport), a few euros (usually 60 or 70, even less at times) and a credit card (VISA and AMEX because not every place takes AMEX) kept in his front pocket, sometimes even zipped in a pocket inside the pocket. 

Today, THB could not find his AMEX card when getting ready for the day. That meant trying to get through to AMEX and freezing the card. Of course, Comcast was not working in Italy today. Eventually THB asked the hotel operator to use the AMEX international collect call service, and THB only had to ask the AMEX customer service rep to speak slower and louder 3 times to offset the bad connection.

DB had medical distress and wasn't sure how much she could do today. Fortunately, SC had some Cipro (due to "expire" in a few weeks) and it started working almost immediately. PHEW!! A wonder drug, we are having to re-learn the travel techniques and our (now retired) GP always use to get us prescriptions for meds that might be helpful wherever we traveled. Another lesson in the post-Covid world (and after the doc that knows you retires, it is a real challenge to find a good replacement).

At lunch, at a small place in the plaza outside the Fondazione Querini Stampalia, DB and THB share a plate of six sandwiches, a beer and a water. Actually, DB and THB share a plate of five sandwiches because a giant sea gull swooped in and grabbed the cod sandwich, knocked over a glass, and departed. Even the ballpark sea gulls wait until the fans have left their seats before devouring leftover fries. 

On the last few 100 meters to dinner, Valentina and SC were maybe 10 meters ahead of DB and THB in a stretch that was thinly trafficked when THB noticed a hand reaching into DB's unzipped backpack. Almost the entire time we were walking to the ristorante DB had her backpack on her chest. For just these last few moments of vulnerability a pickpocketer caught up to us. THB yelled out (a lesson has he learned the hard way) don't ever let a stranger touch you, ever. The guy backed off, and walked past us and started acting like he was the victim, totally affronted by THB's behavior. 

Then he moved quickly on, and just a minute (maybe only a minute, things seemed sped up right then) later came back towards THB and DB (with two guys trailing him) and feinted like he was going to fight with us. Fortunately he kept going and we made it the restaurant. Valentina and SC were totally surprised, they hadn't noticed a thing.  Nothing was taken other than our sense of security. 

After returning to the hotel, housekeeping had found THB's AMEX and left it on the counter in the bathroom. HOT DAMN!!! A skype call worked the next morning to unfreeze the card. 

Sooooooooooooo, who wants to talk about art? Today was another really good (and tiring) art day. 

The fanciest fire extinguisher ever

The ticket checkers are on board the vaporetto making sure the riders have all "tapped" in

The famous Rialto Bridge coming up

Their is a big installation by Alaoui in the Tedesch Department Store; we don't have advanced tix so only see the pics on display around the store

Fondazone Querini Stampalia back entrance. We've been here before, it is a Scarpa-remodeled building

Scene of the sandwich theft

Counting off: one for you, one for me, one for you, one for me, one for you, and WHOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The sea gull owes THB $3, THB owes the restaurant $21

A quick tour after lunch: Noguchi lamps very dated, Vo's many small plant pics a bit too prissy for THB, and Park Seo-Bo pieces in the Korean minimalist tradition are fascinating

Side view where the ridges are obvious in the paint

The lockers function with codes and sequences from a central control screen and just like 3 years ago we can't get ours to open

Time for a break on way to the Arsenale: DB tries the hazelnut: excellente

Arsenal old-fashion lockers, works first time, every time and multiple people can be opening and closing lockers at same time...

Early afternoon, Valentina is again on hand to lead us through the maze, and Simone Leigh is prominently displayed.  

SC's post reminded THB: cowrie shells, not conch

Belkis Ayon - did THB's i-phone revert to black and white?

Gabriel Chaile: did THB's i-phone suddenly start taking pictures work by male artists...apparently. A family of large clay sculptures

Britta Marakatt-Laba: stitched

Violeta Parra

There was a show-within-the show: items made to hold other items, and a number of artists were included, some that THB, DB and SC recognized

Ruth Asawa

Toshiko Takaezu

Magdalle Odundo

Pinaree Sanpitak

Delcy Morelos: a room full of mud!

Not clear what is happening here

Sandra Vasquez de la Horra: books? folded canvas

Noah Davis

Ali Cherri

Tau Lewis

Elsa Von Freytag-Loringhoven: Portrat of Marcel Duchamp

Time for our mid-afternoon snack/pick-me-up: THB goes for affogato

Valentina has a deconstructed tiramisu

the wing faucets double as hand dryers

How did the men's bathroom line become longer than the women's? Easy act of subterfuge - a little tape, a sign and a torn up trash bag

The Italian pavilion is a mock-up of a defunct sewing manufacturer

Ombra Del Leone; just around the corner was the site of the attempted pickpocketing 

another broken toilet, this time unisex...

Grilled branzino, excellente

Avec salade