(Venice, Italy) The Art World is buzzing because Banksy, that elusive artist, painted a mural on the wall of a building in Venice that has been closed for years. So, yesterday, I went over to Campo San Pantalon to have a look for myself. The mural on the Rio Novo canal is easy to spot. It depicts a migrant child wearing a life jacket, dreadlocks flowing in the breeze, with a hand raised high, holding a pink flare.
I stopped in the shop next door to ask who owned the building. First the kindly shopkeeper gave me a lengthy presentation about the hand-painted Russian lacquered papier-mâchéboxes on display after I told her someone had given me two of the beautiful boxes as gifts. It was educational, because I had no idea about the history of Russian lacquer art, which was developed from icon painting after the collapse of Imperial Russia.
Then I asked her who owned the building.
"Why? Do you want to buy it? It costs 4.5 million euro, and you can talk to the real estate agent in Campo Santa Margherita about it."
Banksy mural in Venice - Photo: Cat Bauer
So, over to Santa Margherita I went and found the office of Engel & Volkers. I asked the woman at the reception desk if what the shopkeeper had told me was true.
"It was 4.5 million euro, but now it is 'price upon request.'"
"You must be happy."
"We are very happy. Banksy just claimed ownership of the mural two hours ago on his Instagram, and we are still trying to understand all the implications..."
Barca Nostra - Christoph Büchel - Photo: Cat Bauer
(Venice, Italy) Let's talk about that boat. Barca Nostra (Our Boat), an installation by Swiss artist Christoph Büchel at the Venice Art Biennale, is causing all sorts of controversy.
On the night of the 18th of April, 2015, just off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa, a fishing boat designed for a maximum crew of 15 set off from Libya with between 700 and 1,100 migrants crammed into its hull when it collided with an enormous Portuguese merchant ship trying to come to its rescue. After it sank, only 28 people survived. It was the largest single loss of life in decades.
Before the shipwreck, the Italian Navy and Air Force had run a search and rescue operation called "Mare Nostrum," which was credited with saving thousands of lives. But it was extremely expensive for one member state of the European Union to handle the overwhelming flow of migrants -- Italy is just a treacherous hop across the Mediterranean from North Africa. Simply put, to reach the EU, and the hope of finding a better way of life, one of the shortest routes is to get on a boat from Africa to Italy. Similar to migrants crossing from Mexico to the United States, they cross from Africa to Italy -- except there is no need for a wall; there is, instead, the harrowing Mediterranean Sea.
Despite Italy's request for additional funds to run the operation, the EU did not offer more support. Instead, it was replaced by Operation Triton, managed by the EU's border agency, Frontex. Triton's area of operation was much more limited in scope than Mare Nostrum, and they called more often on merchant ships to assist with migrant rescues -- huge cargo carriers to save small fishing boats -- according to the normal rules of navigation, which
impose the obligation of providing assistance to boats in distress upon
which ship is closest.
After the tragedy, the Italian government decided to retrieve the shipwreck at a cost of 9.5 million euros, and began the laborious and distressing work of identifying the bodies to give them some dignity. The fishing boat was transported to the Pontile Marina Militare di Melilli (NATO) in the Port of Augusta, Sicily where an average of 150 people a day -- professionals and volunteers -- worked to extract hundreds of bodies, perform autopsies and attempt to identify thevictimsso they could inform the families and have a proper burial. Nuns came from all over Sicily to volunteer their services. That operation concluded in 2017 at a cost of 23 million euros. All sorts of proposals of what to do with the wreck were then put on the table, including sending it to Brussels so the EU could take responsibility for the migrant crisis; putting it in a Human Rights Museum in Milan; or floating it throughout Europe as a human rights symbol.
This year, on April 18, 2019, the fourth anniversary of the shipwreck, the Italian government handed the boat over to the Commune of Augusta in Sicily, which worked with the Swiss artist Christoph Büchel on the Barca Nostra project. (We can only imagine what negotiations went on behind the scenes to make that happen.) According to a press release:
"The project facilitates a symbolic transfer of the status of the
shipwreck that changes its legal status from a former object of court
evidence to an artifact, considered “a special vessel to be disposed of”
by ministerial decree, to a “bene culturale”, a significant symbol of
our “interesting times” and collective complicity and memory, resulting
in its first public exhibition at the Arsenale in Venice."
Barca Nostra - Christoph Büchel - Photo: Cat Bauer
And now the wreck is here in Venice as part of the Biennale. Some critics find it outrageous, especially since it is located right next to an outdoor refreshment cafe. But that is not how most people will first encounter it. Most people will come out of the dimly-lit Indonesian pavilion, as I did, and get smacked in the face with the haunting shipwreck looming over them. The shock of the encounter took my breath away.
One criticism is that because there are no labels informing the visitor what it is, most people will not know what terror took place aboard that boat. I, for one, knew the boat was at Biennale, but did not know exactly where it was, and was certainly not thinking about it when it rattled my bones. I think Barca Nostra is exactly where it is should be, and where it will stay until La Biennale concludes on November 24. Instead of all those souls dead and forgotten, the shock of actually seeing the boat is deeply emotional and disturbing. With or without a label, the migrant shipwreck has a much higher profile with its appearance at La Biennale than it ever had before.
Whether we will actually do something about it is another debate. Ciao from Venezia, Cat Bauer Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog
Robert Henry Lawrance Jr. by Tavares Strachan (2018) Photo: Cat Bauer
(Venice, Italy) I love the way Ralph Rugoff's mind works. He has tamed the humongous Biennale beast by reducing the number of artists and organizing the vast Arsenale space into smaller compartments.
Even though Rugoff says that this year there is no theme, the artists he invited to participate have captured the essence of the title, "May You Live in Interesting Times." That "ancient Chinese curse" seems particularly pertinent today, and has been cited over the past 80 years by authors and politicians ranging from Arthur C. Clarke to Hillary Rodham Clinton. Only one problem: the curse was utter fiction presumably fabricated by a British diplomat -- there was never any such curse in China.
The curator of the 58th Venice Art Biennale is an American who grew up in Greenwich Village, and whose father was a film distributor. Rugoff studied semiotics(!) at Brown University, then moved to Los Angeles to give screenwriting a shot. He switched to journalism and art critcism, then segued into curating, and has been the Director of the Hayward Gallery of London since 2006. According to an April 10, 2019 article in The New York Times "A Playful Curator Takes on a Tough Gig at the Venice Biennale" by Farah Nayeri, "He recalled watching lots of movies as a boy, and being dragged to art galleries by his parents." That colorful background is reflected in the layout of Arsenale and the artists he has chosen. There are signs, symbols and lots of video and film installations, so be prepared to spend time watching a story play out.
After making a surprisingly emotional journey from the entrance at Arsenale -- a bombardment of the senses -- until arriving at the press room, one installation completely captivated me: a 31-minute 2018 short film on three screens entitled No history in a room filled with people with funny names 5 by Korakrit Arunanondchai in collaboration with Alex Gvojic, which I think is a masterpiece. There are women playing light beams like strings on a harp... Remember the dramatic Thai Cave Rescue with the soccer boys and their coach trapped in a cave? That has something to do with it, too. And the mesmerizing movements of the performance artist, Boychild... I don't have enough time to adequately describe it, so here is a summary from the International Film Festival Rotterdam:
Opening with the myth of spirits summoning projectionists to initiate an
outdoor film projection, artist Korakrit Arunanondchai’s dynamic film
is charged with the idea of community – among humans and non-humans – in
Thailand’s contemporary moment of instability. Boys trapped in a cave
trigger a reflection on the geopolitics of the region and the fragility
of its history.
Arunanondchai was born in Thailand in 1986 and lives and works in New York and Bangkok; Alex Gvojic was born in 1984 in the USA and lives and works in New York. Although you can enter in the middle of the film, it is much better to watch it from the beginning. There are plenty of cushions so you can relax in the same "outdoor setting" as the audience seen in the film, but I was so riveted by Boychild's dancing that I stood the entire time.
48 War Movies by Christian Marclay (2019) Photo: Cat Bauer
From what I've seen so far, this year's Biennale is one of the most accessible and enjoyable that I can remember, and other attendees I've spoken to share my view. At this morning's press conference, President Paolo Baratta spoke about "the visitor as a partner" and said "It's work to encounter a work of art."
It may be work, but it's also fun. Tomorrow, Giardini! Ciao from the Venice Art Festival, Cat Bauer Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog
(Venice, Italy) The new season at Palazzo Cini Gallery kicks off with the celebrated Romanian artist Adrian Ghenie, the "darling of international curators and auction houses," whose paintings not only engage with the history of painting, but also with "painting the texture of history."
Ghenie's rise in the art world has been meteoric. Born on August 13, 1977, the son of a dentist had his first group show in 2006. Ten years later, in February 2016, his "Sunflowers of 1937" sold at a Sotheby's auction in London for a whopping £3,177,000. In October 2016, his "Nickelodeon" sold at Christie's for £7.1 million(!).
As did painters before him, Ghenie fuses grand themes and narratives with contemporary figures and current events. The Battle Between Carnival and Feast, curated by Luca Massimo Barbero, presents nine recent paintings, some painted specifically for this exhibition. The paintings focus on the conflict and turmoil caused by today's geo-political issues united by the theme of water. Here are the titles:
The Wall (2019)
The Raft (2019)
The Drowning (2019)
Figure with Dog (2019)
Self-Portrait with Animal Mask (2018)
Self-Portrait with iPhone (2018)
Untitled (2018)
Untitled (2019)
Untitled (2019)
The Raft by Adrian Ghenie - Photo: Cat Bauer
The Raft, the largest painting in the group, reveals a floating life raft surmounted by a mass of "vulnerable, naked legs and feet, set against a tumultuous sea and sky." It reminds us of the images we see in today's news of the perilous journeys that refugees are forced to make to escape conflict.
The subject of the three Untitled paintings is easily recognizable...
Untitled 2018, 2019, 2019 by Adrian Ghenie - Photos: Cat Bauer
The Palazzo Cini Gallery in Dorsoduro was once the house of the 20th century industrialist and philanthropist Vittorio Cini (1885-1977). The second floor, where you will find Adrian Ghenie, is devoted to exhibitions and cultural events. The first floor recreates the charm of Cini's residence and a glimpse into his private collection.
(Venice, Italy) One of the most famous drawings in the world, Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), whose home is the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice, is rarely put on display because of its fragile nature. Now, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Leonardo's death, the Accademia has mounted an exhibition entitled Leonard da Vinici. Model Man of the World, which features the delicate ink on paper drawing.
Leonardo da Vinici. L'Uomo Modello del Mondo - Photo: Cat Bauer
The exhibition showcases drawings by Leonardo that once belonged to the collection of the artist and writer Giuseppe Bossi (1777-1815), which was purchased in 1822 by the Gallerie dell'Accademia, the owner of the largest public drawing archive in Italy. The Accademia has 25 of Leonardo's folios, ranging from his early pieces made in Florence to his final works in France. The exhibition allows the visitor to get up close and personal with the genius of Leonardo, down to every stroke of his pen.
The focus of the show is Leonardo's study of human proportions, which culminates in the Vitruvian Man, "a superb combination of art and science, the fruit of an unparalleled summary of the harmonious representation that symbolizes the classical perfection of the body and mind, and a human microcosm that reflects the entire universe."
Head of Christ with crown of thorns by da Vinci (1500) - Photo: Cat Bauer
Leonardo came to Venice in March 1500, accompanied by his good friend, the mathematician Luca Pacioli, where they rubbed shoulders with the likes of Giorgione, Jacopo de'Barbari and Albrecht Durer. Putting on his hat as an engineer, Leonardo even created a defense system to ward off the threat of a Turkish invasion, which was never built.
Eleven original drawings are also on loan from the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, as well as seven by Leonardo's students, a sculpture and volumes documenting his research.
Sala del Maggior Consiglio - Great Council Chamber - Photo: Cat Bauer
(Venice, Italy) Power. Glory. Wealth. The sheer magnificence of the Great Council Chamber inside Palazzo Ducale is overwhelming. The immense hall was where the noblemen of the Great Council of the Venetian Republic convened, the 1,000 to 2,000 aristocrats who composed the most important political body of Venice and who were the guardians of the laws of State. The Great Council met for the first time in the Sala del Maggior Consiglio in 1423.
After a fire on December 20, 1577, the structural damage was quickly restored and the gilded room was decorated by the greatest artists of the time, such as Veronese, Palma il Giovane, Francesco Bassano and Jacopo and Domenico Tintoretto, whose gigantic Il Paradiso is one of the world's largest paintings. On the walls, historic battles and triumphs bombard the eyes with the glorification of Venice. Portraits of the first 76 Doges run in the frieze under the ceiling.
Great Council Chamber - "San Marco - The Basilica in the Third Millennium" Photo: Cat Bauer
Yesterday, April 13, 2019, nearly 600 years after the Great Council first met in the Sala del Maggior, a conference was held here to discuss the fate of an even more ancient Venetian structure: "San Marco - The Basilica in the Third Millennium." With the Tintoretto Il Paradiso as the backdrop, the setting for the conference shows the importance that Venice still places today on the condition of St. Mark's Basilica, which was first built in 832, rebuilt in 978 after it was burned in a rebellion, and whose current structure was consecrated on October 8, 1094. When you've got sacred architecture still standing for nearly a thousand years, the challenges that Venice will face far in the future, in the Basilica's third millennium, are not taken lightly.
"Nowhere in the Western world, not in Ravenna or Aachen or even in Rome itself, had so sumptuous a monument been raised to the Christian God..."
"La Basilica di San Marco di Venezia. Arte, storia, conservazione,"
a beautiful three-volume book published by Marsilio, was presented at the conference. It
includes essays by more than 60 different experts written in a language
accessible to a wide audience about "the splendor of a basilica suspended halfway between East and West which contains priceless treasures of faith and art." If the expert wrote their essay in Italian, as did most of the experts, Marsilio published it Italian. However, if the expert wrote in English, it was published in English, so you will find both languages in the books, in addition to exclusive photos.
With images that peek into the most secret corners of the Basilica, the book covers the history of thirty years of restorations, and is also a starting point for new ideas.
Pala D'Oro & tomb of St. Mark on high altar of Basilica - Photo: Cat Bauer
The office of the Procurator, whose duties were to attend to St. Mark's Basilica, was established in the ninth century. These days the Procurators are still in charge of administering the Basilica under the authority of the Patriarch of Venice. Carlo Alberto Tesserin, the highest Procurator, was on the opening panel, as was Mons. Francesco Moraglia, the Patriarch of Venice, as well as representatives from the State -- Luigi Brugnaro, Venice's mayor, Gianluca Forcolin, the Vice-President of the Veneto Region, and Vincenzo Zoccano, the Undersecretary of State.
Climate change and the increasing frequency of acqua alta (high water) is one of the greatest challenges that the conservation of the Basilica faces. Another is mass tourism. In 2018, a whopping 5.5 million visitors entered the Basilica. Zoccano said, "Politics cannot divide such important issues. The government wants to be close to the Venetians and their city, which is a world heritage. We will not draw back from this responsibility." They also want to make it easier for private donations to receive greater tax deductions.
To me, one of the most fascinating speakers was the Byzantine scholar, Peter Schreiner, from the University of Cologne and Munich, who was on the round table held after the refreshing coffee break in the Sala dello Scrutinio. He spoke about the origins of the Basilica, and how Venice was influenced by Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. He said that it was important to remember that the Roman Empire in the East was Greek and pagan, not Latin, as in the West. I wrote an extensive post about Istanbul aka Constantinople in 2016, which gives more details about the long, complex history:
After an excellent Cocktail Dînatoire by Venetian stalwart Rosa Salva, again in the Sala dello Scrutinio, we went down to the courtyard and through the door that connects Palazzo Ducale to the Basilica of San Marco. Inside, we were treated to the heavenly voices of La Cappella Marciana conducted by Marco Gemmani, a vocal chorus directly descended from the more than five-century-old cappella of the Doge. It is considered the oldest professional music group that is still active. Here is a taste. Listen:
On the evening before Palm Sunday, the voices of the chorus filled the Basilica with the music of the angels. The Pala D'Oro beamed its golden wisdom. The mosaics on the walls and the domes and the apses whispered their ancient stories. The deep spirituality of the Republic of Venice washed over me, and lifted my spirits.
Afterwards, I said to a Venetian friend, "I feel... clean."
"Purified," she replied in English.
"Yes. Purified is the word."
For the sake of the planet, the Basilica of San Marco must prepare for its Third Millennium.
President Paolo Baratta & Director Marie Chouinard - Photo by Cat Bauer
(Venice, Italy) ON BEcCOMING A SmArT GOd-dESS is the title of the 2019 La Biennale di Venezia International Festival of Contemporary Dance, directed by the effervescent Marie Chouinard. It runs for 10 days, from June 21-30, with 29 shows by 22 choreographers and companies from all over the world in venues throughout Venice.
Towards the end of the press conference today, President Paolo Baratta made some profound remarks about the nature of La Biennale itself, which I will attempt to paraphrase.
This institution, La Biennale, is relevant for the life of a society. We are all challenged to have have an existence between the order that is necessary and the undisciplined part of us that art represents. The arts can have a radical impact when the established order becomes too hardened. Art challenges excessive order. The World of Art is the inner voice, the undisciplined part of us. It might be seen from time to time as an enemy. In fact, it is an enemy that fights against the established order. This is our job. It is very interesting that La Biennale is a public institution created by the State. We are part of the establishment. This is, perhaps, European. We are here... this permanent revolution... this permanent remembrance...
That is just the gist of what I could compile together from my scribbled notes -- President Baratta was much more eloquent. But if you think about it, how astonishing is it that a governmental organization of the Arts is in place to constantly challenge the established Order of society?
In 1893, the Venice City Council passed a resolution to establish a biennial exhibition of Italian art to celebrate the silver anniversary of the Italian King and Queen, Umberto I and Margherita di Savoia. The First International Art Exhibition of the City of Venice opened on April 30, 1895. Throughout the decades, two World Wars, student revolutions and other disruptions, the organization constantly evolved to arrive at what it is today, a thriving cultural institution. These days, the president of La Biennale is appointed by the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Italy. Paolo Baratta has been its President since 2008, and before that from 1998 to 2001.
For a general overview of the different sectors of this "cultural colossus with a conscience," you can read my LUXOS article, A Biennale for all the Senses.
And for more information about the exciting Dance program that was presented in Venice today, please go to Biennale Danza 2019.
San Giorgio Café with Filippo La Mantia - Photo: Cat Bauer
(Venice, Italy) The Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, one of the loveliest, most peaceful and spiritual islands on the globe, now adds great cuisine to its offerings with the opening of the San Giorgio Café and food created by one of Italy's most renowned cooks, Filippo La Mantia.
With origins that date back to the ninth century, the Benedictine monastery on San Giorgio hosted Cosimo de' Medici when he was exiled from Florence in 1433. The Gothic church, Refectory and second Cloister were designed by the great architect Andrea Palladio himself. It hosted the Papal Conclave in 1799. After being transformed by Count Vittorio Cini as an homage to his son, Giorgio, who died tragically in a plane crash, it hosted the G7 summit twice, in 1980 and 1987.
I have been writing about happenings on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore and the Giorgio Cini Foundation for more than a decade. Here's an article I wrote for Luxos Magazine which will give you an overview:
Filippo La Mantia at San Giorgio Café - Photo: Cat Bauer
The only thing missing from the island was some good food. Now, with the opening of San Giorgio Café, it is practically perfect. This "gastronomical project" was conceived by the Giorgio Cini Foundation "to optimize the reception services of the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore," and was designed and created by D'Uva, a digital interpretation laboratory that offers interactive experiences and collaborates with museums and churches with Ilaria D'Uva at the helm, together with the dynamic Sicilian cook, Filippo La Mantia.
Filippo La Mantia was born in Palermo in 1960, and used to be a press photographer for crime columns, documenting the mafia war in the Sicilian capital in the 1980s. At age 42, he flipped his life around by moving to Rome and becoming a cook. He calls himself a "oste e cuoco" -- a "host and cook" and serves up traditional food with a Sicilian approach -- but there are some Venetian dishes, like risi e bisi (rice and peas) on the menu, which also includes Mantia's specialty, caponata di melanzane (eggplant 'caponata') that was so good I had two portions. And I learned what it really means to eat pasta "al dente."
Filippo La Mantia in the kitchen of San Giorgio Café - Photo: Cat Bauer
In Filippo's own words:
...I've tried to make it simple, captivating and traditional. I've played around with my own tradition and the Venetian one because I respect all the regions of Italy even though I always give precedence to my own Sicily, starting from Palermo. For example, I've read that rice was brought to Venice by the Arabs, and in fact a typical dish will be risi e bisi, or rice and peas. It will always be on the menu along with spaghetti with tomato and spaghetti with clams.
In my opinion, people coming to Italy must absolutely eat Italian. The menu will vary continuously; it must be a kind of prolongation of home, like "I'm going shopping, then I'll cook," and that's it.
I hope to be able to make frequent use of the kitchen garden of the Benedictine monks, our neighbors, and use all their produce which is grown with such care and love. In the end every project to do with hospitality and food is an act of love. I want everyone sharing this adventure with me always to have a smile on their lips. Hospitality, art and food are the elements which best represent Italians all over the world...
Personally, I think Pasquale Gagliardi, General Secretary of the Giorgio Cini Foundation, is a genius. Over the past 20 years, he has overseen the enhancement of the island, including Le Stanze del Vetro (Rooms of Glass), where you can visit a continually revolving, rich program featuring blown glass, and the new Lo Squero auditorium, where you can enjoy concerts with a stupendous view of the lagoon in the background.
Upstairs interior San Giorgio Café - Photo: Cat Bauer
The new San Girogio Café with Filippo La Mantia is the only refreshment place on the Island of San Giorgio with 80 place settings (about 50 outdoor) where you can enjoy a decent meal from morning to evening, or simply relax with a cocktail and watch the sunset. The interior is warm and friendly, with décor by Studio Architetto Paolo Richelli, and especially welcoming when the weather is not fine.
The kitchen is open all day every day except Wednesday, starting with breakfast at 10 AM. For now, dinner is available on Fridays and Saturdays or on request for special events. There will also be a €25 Buffet (not including drinks) with about 12-15 different offerings -- vegetarian cous cous, fish, chicken, pastas, rice, vegetable dishes, salads, etc.
The San Giorgio Café opens to the public on April 6, 2019. Go to San Giorgio Café, the café/restaurant of the Island of San Giorgio for more information.
(Venice, Italy) The Church of San Lorenzo, a towering structure with exposed bricks and no elaborate facade, sat alone and closed for more than a century except for a few temporary installations. For years, stray cats were its only friends. Its roof was leaking and there was a gaping hole in the floor. The current church was built in 1592-1602, and deconsecrated in 1810 after the invasion of Napoleon's troops and the fall of the Venetian Republic.
In the early 20th century, a series of archaeological excavations were conducted to search for the remains of the great Venetian explorer, Marco Polo, who was rumored to have been buried in the church. They didn't find Marco Polo, but they did find remnants of an original 9th century church whose foundation stretched back to Byzantine times.
The Church of San Lorenzo has been the site for temporary installations over the past few decades, most notably Renzo Piano's architectural intervention for the presentation of Luigi Nono's opera Prometheus as part of the Biennale di Venezia International Music Festival in 1984, and a sonic intervention by artist Ariel Guzik for the 2012 Mexican Pavilion of La Biennale International Art Festival.
Then it was closed again.
Enter TBA21-Academy, who, in 2016, took out a long-term lease and has been working to make repairs in order to transform the enormous space into an embassy for the oceans.
Ocean Space at the Church of San Lorenzo - Photo courtesy of TBA-21 Academy
Most people know fish only on a plate, and Ocean Space wants to change that. TBA21-Academy was founded by activist art collector Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza and Markus Reymann to connect thought-leaders in the world of art and science to develop solutions for the oceans’ most urgent issues. A deep believer in channeling wealth into philanthropy, Francesca is determined to focus global attention on the state of the seas. “No ocean, no species. People do not realize how much they can do through their network and skill system to make a difference.”
“This is not a museum of the past, but a laboratory for the future,” said Markus Reymann.
