The Venice Biennale, Viva Arte Viva: Images from the Arsenale

Irina Korina, “Good Intentions”, 2017. All images by Marsha Owett

We’ve spent the better part of a day looking at the Venice Biennale’s exhibition, “Viva Arte Viva“. Curated by Christine Macel and described as a Biennale designed “with artists, by artists and for artists”, the show amounts to a love letter addressed to artists. Studios have been transported, materials worshipped, and methodologies examined. Weaving as a metaphor for making, togetherness, and life, is completely and utterly ubiquitous. The sincerity of it all can be a bit much. But more on that later. A look at the Arsenale section of the show below.

Juan Downey, “The Circle of Fires”, 1979 and Rasheed Areaeen, “Zero to Infinity in Venice”, 2016-2017

Rasheed Areaeen, “Zero to Infinity in Venice”, 2016-2017

Lee Mingwei, “The Mending Project”, 2009-2017

Maria Lai, “Enciclopedia Pane/Bread” date unknown

Maria Lai, “Untitled”, date unknown

David Medalla, “A Stitch In Time”, 1968

Franz Erhard Walther.

Martin Cordiano, “Common Places”, 2017

Yorgos Sapountzis, “Sculptures Cannot Eat”, 2017

Franz Erhard Walther.

Charles Atlas, “The Tyranny of Consciousness” with Lady Bunny, 2017

Bonnie Ora Shark, “Evolution of Life Frames” 2005-2017

Kananginak Pootoogook

The Play, “Current of Contemporary Art”, July 20, 1969, June 5, 2012

The Play, “IE: The Play Have A House”, August 5-10, 1972

Shimabuku, “The Snow Monkeys of Texas, “Do Snow Monkeys Remember Snow Mountains?” 2016

Michael Blazy

Michael Blazy, detail

Erika Verzutti, “Turtle” 2017

Julian Charriere

Petrit Halilaj, “Do you realize there is a rainbow even if it’s night!?” 2017

Thu Van Tran, installation view, 2017

Art barnicle. (One of several unidentified performance artists who parachute into biennales to stage their own interventions with the hopes of garnering press.)