[wwreview]A review of the 50th Venice Biennale
francischoll
listadmin@worldwidereview.com
Sun, 15 Jun 2003 10:37:37 +0100
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Buongiorno,
worldwidereview officially had three reviewers and one photographer in =
Venice, but actually everyone who was there, and everyone who wasn't, =
can write a review on www.worldwidereview.com .It will appear =
immediately on the site, available for the world to review.
Much Love
Rudi Scholl
and Jasper Joffe
to stop getting these emails, which you were recommended for, simply =
reply with your address as subject
A review of La Biennale di Venezia 2003 or the 50th Venice Biennial
Reviews
From: RS
Category: Exhibitions
Date: 15 June 2003
Review
Subtitled Dream and Conflicts The Dictatorship of the Viewer.=20
As with most authoritarian oligarchies that have ruled in the name of =
the masses (see market capitalism, state socialism, european fascism =
etc), the viewers never picked Bonami and the other high falutin clowns =
who created this jamboree, to represent them.=20
The dictatorship of the viewer turns out to be the patronising =
assumption that people prefer a whole load of crap (bits of hardboard, =
computers, typed out scribbled on notes, websites, video projections, =
stickers) to beautiful, wonderful, or truthful, art works. The premise =
is either that great art is too difficult to make so why bother, that =
great or good art is a ridiculous old fashioned idea so why bother, or =
worst of all that viewers can only like interactive junk that they could =
have made themselves if they had enough time to waste.=20
Let remember that this Biennale in this beautiful city of Venice, which =
is in itself a testament to human creativity, is meant to, does, =
represent the best or at least most of what is going on in the global =
art world. The Biennale shows what we are doing, what we can do.=20
And the results, the endless installations which satisfy only the =
context of the show, dismay even the afficianados (viewers are =
intelligent enough to unpick all the tired attempts to subvert cultural =
and institutional contexts, and they see the art works for what they =
are: that is nothing, that is worse than emptiness). People whose job is =
art, said without whispering, as the icecreams melted on their sunburnt =
arms, this Biennale is shit isn't it. Have you seen anything good? No.=20
Even artists with talent have failed. Chris Ofili vomits up his own =
opticality, green and red, green and red, we got it already, now move =
on, and do some surprising paintings. The big painting show, (all the =
usual name checks from Guston to Richter, to Hirst), shows why merely =
painting, the return to a technique, leads to as much to failure as all =
the rest.=20
Question: If all is bad, what is good? Try to remember when you felt or =
thought something significant when looking at art. That is near to being =
what good art is. Next time you're in Venice go see Veronese's "Feast at =
The House of Levi" at The Accademia Gallery( actually referenced in Fred =
Wilson's USA pavilion), consider why you like it more than so many other =
paintings of the same type. This shows that the useful faculty of =
judgement probably exists.=20
Now cry out for the democracy of the viewer, not the well dressed happy =
few telling the many that this junk is all that art is or can be or =
should be, but the shabby many, those without invites to parties, saying =
they want to be moved by the truth and beauty of great art. We, the =
viewers, expect to be insprired. We want more.=20
Click here to review this review=20
click here to return to worldwidereview.com, the home of critical =
reviews=20
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Buongiorno,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>worldwidereview officially had three =
reviewers and=20
one photographer in Venice, but actually everyone who was there, and =
everyone=20
who wasn't, can write a review on <A=20
href=3D"http://www.worldwidereview.com">www.worldwidereview.com</A> .It =
will=20
appear immediately on the site, available for the world to =
review.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Much Love</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Rudi Scholl</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>and Jasper Joffe</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D1>to stop getting these emails, which you =
were=20
recommended for, simply reply with your address as subject</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D1></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<H2>A review of La Biennale di Venezia 2003 or the 50th Venice=20
Biennial<BR>Reviews</H2><!--webbot BOT=3D"FormInsertHere"=0A=
DESCR=3D"The FrontPage FormInsertHere Component indicates the point in =
an HTML file where you want a default, Registration, or Discussion =
Component to insert new results." startspan=0A=
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<P><B>From: </B>RS<BR><B>Category: </B>Exhibitions<BR><B>Date: </B>15 =
June=20
2003<BR></P>
<H3>Review</H3>
<P>Subtitled Dream and Conflicts The Dictatorship of the Viewer.=20
<P>As with most authoritarian oligarchies that have ruled in the name of =
the=20
masses (see market capitalism, state socialism, european fascism etc), =
the=20
viewers never picked Bonami and the other high falutin clowns who =
created this=20
jamboree, to represent them.=20
<P>The dictatorship of the viewer turns out to be the patronising =
assumption=20
that people prefer a whole load of crap (bits of hardboard, computers, =
typed out=20
scribbled on notes, websites, video projections, stickers) to beautiful, =
wonderful, or truthful, art works. The premise is either that great art =
is too=20
difficult to make so why bother, that great or good art is a ridiculous =
old=20
fashioned idea so why bother, or worst of all that viewers can only like =
interactive junk that they could have made themselves if they had enough =
time to=20
waste.=20
<P>Let remember that this Biennale in this beautiful city of Venice, =
which is in=20
itself a testament to human creativity, is meant to, does, represent the =
best or=20
at least most of what is going on in the global art world. The Biennale =
shows=20
what we are doing, what we can do.=20
<P>And the results, the endless installations which satisfy only the =
context of=20
the show, dismay even the afficianados (viewers are intelligent enough =
to unpick=20
all the tired attempts to subvert cultural and institutional contexts, =
and they=20
see the art works for what they are: that is nothing, that is worse than =
emptiness). People whose job is art, said without whispering, as the =
icecreams=20
melted on their sunburnt arms, this Biennale is shit isn't it. Have you =
seen=20
anything good? No.=20
<P>Even artists with talent have failed. Chris Ofili vomits up his own=20
opticality, green and red, green and red, we got it already, now move =
on, and do=20
some surprising paintings. The big painting show, (all the usual name =
checks=20
from Guston to Richter, to Hirst), shows why merely painting, the return =
to a=20
technique, leads to as much to failure as all the rest.=20
<P>Question: If all is bad, what is good? Try to remember when you felt =
or=20
thought something significant when looking at art. That is near to being =
what=20
good art is. Next time you're in Venice go see Veronese's "Feast at The =
House of=20
Levi" at The Accademia Gallery( actually referenced in Fred Wilson's USA =
pavilion), consider why you like it more than so many other paintings of =
the=20
same type. This shows that the useful faculty of judgement probably =
exists.=20
<P>Now cry out for the democracy of the viewer, not the well dressed =
happy few=20
telling the many that this junk is all that art is or can be or should =
be, but=20
the shabby many, those without invites to parties, saying they want to =
be moved=20
by the truth and beauty of great art. We, the viewers, expect to be =
insprired.=20
We want more.=20
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P></P><!--webbot BOT=3D"Include"=0A=
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<P><A=20
href=3D"http://www.worldwidereview.com/_vti_bin/shtml.exe/Reviews_post.ht=
m?2850"=20
name=3Ddisabled webbot-href=3D"--WEBBOT-REPLY--"><FONT =
face=3DArial>Click here to=20
review this review</FONT> </A></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial size=3D1><A =
href=3D"http://www.worldwidereview.com/index.htm"=20
target=3D_top>click here to return to worldwidereview.com, the home of =
critical=20
reviews</A></FONT>=20
</P><!--webbot bot=3D"Include" endspan i-checksum=3D"28899" =
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