Venice Day 7 and 8

 Venice Day 7

Weather: Absolutely lovely, in the 60s with low humidity

Today we tackle the Arsanale Biennale site with Valentina, SMC and RR. Lots of the pics did not load (where have you heard that before). After covering about 75% of Arsenale, we hustle over to a different island to see the large show at 

THB is too exhausted to join DB, SMC and RR in the Cipriani bar for a meal and drink, instead attempts to plow ahead on his blogging and finishing up his current audiobook. 

The lead curator for this year is Brazilian and the show inside Arsenale is nearly 100% artists from the "global south" and their work is not always current, or at least to THB doesn't seem "contemporary" in the sense that it is in the now "for something new"

okay, a spaceman lugging his belongings (old bottles) to his next destination

immense cart full of eels, all carved out of wood

River Claude

Omar Mismaur: mosaics

Richard Johnson, USA, way up in the rafters 

Dalton Paula, large paintings with close-ups of facial features

burnt and mounted so the viewer can see the shadow image

Barbara Sanchez-Kane stacked soldiers

Ana Segovia, could have been on loan from the Cheech Marin Museum of Chicano Art

Fish and chips at the cafe at Arsenale, today is THB and DB's turn to treat our group of 5, $115 for the meal and drinks

eggplant parmigiana

Turkish gallery at Arsenale, maybe THB and DB will  see her work next year in Istanbul 

Benin artists, all very good

Here it is art fans: the first (for THB) of AI generated work...someone stares at a ship, a computer generates based on tracking eye movement and AI takes it from there. 

San Gregorio Church hosting a terrific  exhibit of Berlinde De Bruyckere's haunting figures: worth a detour!

Had to pay to see the Homo - Faber Journey of Life exhibit behind the San Gregorio church, around $20/pp. 10 buildings full of Fine Craftsmanship (packed with work, THB was suffering butt brush factor and art fatigue the entire time. Piece below is by Nathan Lynch, head of the CCA Ceramics Department: full size bathtub

 Venice Day 8

Weather: Overcast and humid, THB really wears down mid-afternoon

Today is a repeat day, THB and DB have 3 day passes and we are revisiting the two main venues to see if we missed anything (Valentina is terrific and even she can't cover all the exhibits that are appealing to us).

fixing the electronics in the vaporetto station during rough seas

sign on the vaporetto, not very large, how to carry your backpack when exiting...or getting on?

Valentina gives us great advice on getting a seat at the Egypt pavilion: take vaporetto past the main entrance, go in the back way, and you're right there. Yeah, but she forgot to tell the young woman who opens the pavilion

opens at 11:15, we are the only two, and the video starts. 45 minutes later we have seen our top exhibit at the Biennale: great modern dance, music and performance

Venezia pavilion, quite good

Inhotim star Claudia Andujar...we saw her work in several sites on our Brazil 2023 trip, and there are a few of her photos here as she documented Brazilian tribal rituals

Louis Fratino, NYC

walking from Giardini to Arsenale on small empty streets

Italy exhibit is at rear of Arsenale: sound installation

At around 2:30pm we decide to head back to hotel. THB hits the wall just before we make it to  the Hotel Cipriani shuttle stop. Too much shaky-hands med? Not enough water? 75? All of the above and more?

We meet up with Valentina for quick aperitif, say our goodbyes and hope to see her again. 

Dinner again (3rd time, maybe 4th) at Local...Terrific! DB and THB share a wine pairing, chat up the 35-ish Cal grads at the next table (they are here for a wedding to be held at the Cipriani) and get a stack of flash cards to remind us what we had tonight.

finger towel and holder

Pop Quiz: take your time, match the flash card to its respective dish

Book Review: Pretty Birds, Scott Simon (novel, read by Christina Moore, pub'd 2005): How even young teenagers were recruited into dangerous roles during the Bosnian Serbs siege  of Sarajevo in the early 1990s. The book is based on true events - Simon covered the war of ethnic cleansing - which is unfortunately similar to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Neutral 

Book Review: The Monkey Wrench Gang,  Edward Abbey (novel, read by Michael Kramer, pub'd 1975): From the heights to the depths. This book is a farcical/satirical piece over over-exaggeration. Not Recommended  except for the foreword by Douglas Brinkley summarizing Abbey's place in history.