The Padiglione Centrale is where a large portion of Bice Curiger’s curated show “Illuminations” can be found.
Upon entering the space, Gianni Colombo’s “Elastic Space” reminds me of Gormley’s recent “Breathing Room.” It is made of phosphorescent thread in rectangular forms. It glows in the pitch black room it is installed in and returns to the [...]

The Giardini

The British Pavilion got a lot of press for Mike Nelson’s work, “I, Imposter.” A recreation and expansion of the work he made for the 2003 Istanbul Biennial, Nelson transformed the pavilion into a maze of dilapidated rooms that transported the viewer. As one enters it feels like a real space, not an art [...]

The Arsenale
While the insanity of the Giardini occurred, I chose to begin my viewing at the Arsenale. This is where the large portion of the curated show by Bice Curiger is exhibited.
For the Biennale four artists were invited to create “para-pavilions” (Franz West, SongDong, Oscar Tuazon, and Monika Sosnowska.) These pavilions are large structures of [...]

Venice in Venice was the first show I saw this year at the Biennale. I actually went to a panel discussion with some of the artists: Peter Alexander, Billy Al Bengston, Ron Cooper and Laddie John Dill. The show was curated by Tim Nye and Jacqueline Miro and was put on by Foundation 20 21 [...]

Fondazione Emilio e Annabianca Vedova
Emilio Vedova who died in 2006 began artistic research in the 1930s when surrounded by the 17th century atmosphere of Venice. He was a major figure in the postwar art scene in the 1950s along with contemporaries Burri and Fontana and a leader in art informel movement. In 1997 he won [...]

Aerial view of the Punta della Dogana

Overall, I have to say that I enjoyed the exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi over the Punta della Dogana which felt too similar to the show I saw there two years ago. At least the Palazzo Grassi exhibition felt newer and fresher to me. That being said, here are [...]

Born in Belgium in 1959 Alÿs trained as an architect in Venice before moving to Mexico City where he has lived since 1986. In his artwork, Alÿs confronts issues such as economics, progress and modernity through projects which he documents in drawings, paintings, video and sculpture. The show includes works from the mid-1990s to the [...]

With the weather improving it is time to head to Chelsea for some gallery hopping. Here are some of my suggestions:
West 24th Street
David Altmejd currently has his third solo show at Andrea Rosen Gallery. Two Plexiglas sculptures fill the main gallery. One could spend hours trying to see every detail and attempt to figure out [...]

There is a terrific little show at the Rubin Museum highlighting five artists working from the 1960s onward whose work has been influenced by Buddhism. Grain of Emptiness: Buddhism Inspired Contemporary Art showcases works by Charmion von Wiegand, Wolfgang Laib, Atta Kim, Theaster Gates and Sanford Biggers.
Von Wiegand, a friend of the painter Piet Mondrian, [...]

Though I am familiar with Glenn Ligon’s work, I didn’t know that much about his background or the breadth of his work throughout his career. Luckily, I had the privilege of a curator led tour through his current show at the Whitney Museum of Art, the first mid-career retrospective of his work.
The first gallery has [...]