I'm behind and getting further and further behind so I'm going to post some highlights of the last couple of days and then you can do some work yourselves if you want to know more. It's why god made google. At least I'll ease my guilt a bit and won't feel like I've abandoned you altogether.
Another fantastic dinner at La Bitta on Saturday night. I have pictures to prove it. I can tell you that, for me, this restaurant is now where Alle Testiere was two years ago. I fear that Testiere has now started to believe some of its own hype - always a danger - and that often, unfortunately, affects food, service, vibe. Barring anything unforeseen, La Bitta's pana cotta will be declared the winner of Battle of the Bands: Panna Cotta. I have a before and an after photo of that.
I saw a LOT of art yesterday. I traipsed around on foot from one end of the city to the other going to Biennale "nations in town," collateral exhibits, and other exhibits that have little or nothing to do with the Biennale except timing.
The Prinicpality of Monaco is participating in the Biennale for the first time and artist Philippe Pastor made a powerful statement about our environment and the need to live in consort with nature. His massive works are installed in the courtyard of a military presidio. Yes, I have photos.
Two young Moroccan artists have their decidedly UN-Catholic and quite exotic work installed in the Chiesa Santa Maria della Pieta. (Yes, I have photos.) I LOVE the juxtapositions between the art and the venues of all these "in town" installations.
Video installations by artists from Georgia, Luxembourg, Estonia, and Cyprus are thought-provoking/scary.
Particularly poignant is Iran's "Hope for the Future," installed, obviously, before the elections and the resulting riots. This sculpture, entitled "Phoenix" pretty much says it all, don't you think?
Three South African artists, a Chinese artist, and a British artist share an exhibition space in our neighborhood at Palazzo Guerini Art House. All the work is fantastic, in very different ways. YES, photos.
I was extremely impressed by the work of three Irish artists who all deal, to one extent or another, with the world economy, with the gap - the gaping gap - between the haves and the have nots. No photos; they wouldn't help. This is one of those, "you'd have to see it" installations, I'm afraid. If I have time and can find the words, I'll try descriptions.
And I never in a million years thought I would write these words but definitely in the Top Five exhibits I've seen since I've been here is Yoko Ono's "Anton's Memory." Her time has come again. Her message of love, peace, and happiness which for a long while may have seemed trite and outdated, resonates again, I believe, in these times. Her work requires viewer participation and is very warm and very moving. I have LOTS of photos and they definitely deserve and will get their own post.
Today's outing was to the little island of San Giorgio Maggiore just opposite Piazza San Marco. At the spectacularly restored Benedictine abbey, British filmmaker Peter Greenaway has married - no pun intended - 16th Century art with 21st Century technology. And it works in a grand way. I managed to get a couple of photos that barely make the point but in the meantime, please read - if you're interested - NY Times art critic Roberta Smith's piece on it in this morning's paper - it's how we found out about it!
Okay. At least you have something to read and an inkling of what we've been up to for the last couple of days. We're off to Bologna tomorrow morning, back on Thursday evening. Haven't decided yet whether to take the laptop so you'll hear from me...sometime.
Ciao...
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