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Venice

Venice Biennale Remainders: Allora and Calzadilla Aren’t So Bad | Christian Marclay’s “Timeless” Clock | Scads of Flickr Photos

by Paddy Johnson on June 10, 2011
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Jerry Saltz and Adrian Searle both maybe like Allora and Calzadilla’s tank at the US Pavilion, but Saltz thinks the rest should go. Sure it was a bit of a circus, but I liked the show regardless.

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Can A Painter Win The Venice Biennale?

by Paddy Johnson on June 10, 2011
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One of the great opportunities Venice affords is the chance for artists to fully transform a space. Nearly every pavilion gets a complete makeover every two years, but this came to mind particularly when looking at the exceptions. Take Canada’s Steven Shearer, a well-known painter and sculptor represented by Gavin Brown’s Enterprise. He’s worked in large formats before. In 2008, he produced a bad boy metal-music flop of a show at The New Museum that included a giant room-sized cube made of black PVC pipe. This year though, only a tiny bronze maquette of this same piece was on display in the Pavilion and it looked like it was for sale.  Add to this, a vetrine full of sub-standard sketchs and a poem in which the individual words did more to express the abject than their combination, and you’ve got a pavilion people will discuss almost entirely in the negative.

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Should Artists Go To The Venice Biennale?

by Paddy Johnson on June 9, 2011
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Are biennales like art fairs – a quick way to kill an artist’s soul? I sometimes had this impression while I was in Venice last week, even though nothing is for sale. There’s a lot of art to see, sure, but more importantly, people to schmooze! Given that the day the Biennale opens to the public the crowds thin dramatically — this is same day the three-day advance press and VIP preview closes — it’s hard to think the show is mostly about the art.

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I Hate The British Pavilion

by Paddy Johnson on June 7, 2011
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Resting on the perch of a hill first visible from the entrance of the Giardini in Venice, The British Pavilion commands a lot of attention. It’s a grand location, and with the exception of the La Biennale building probably the best spot in the whole garden. As such, even for those who have never been to the Giardini, it’s probably not hard to imagine the kind of drama that ensues from seeing giant lines of people lined out front the pavilion. The angle of the hill makes the crowds look larger than they are, and there’s an element of anticipation that builds as the throng swells.

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Paddy Johnson at The Daily: Best in Show at The Venice Biennale

by Paddy Johnson on June 7, 2011
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If the Venice Biennale were a race, no one would finish. There's too much art to see, which means people look at what's talked about and make empty promises to return in the summer – the exhibition is up through November 27th.

But how effective a viewing strategy is following the buzz? Better than one would think.

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