[wwreview]Venice Biennale banal, benign, blazing, boring, boho? The Finale answer from worldwidereview.com

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www.worldwidereview.com sends its report from Venice....

The Venice Biennale: The Arsenale
Reviews
From: Eva
Category: Art
Date: 11 June 2005


Review
'Always a Little Further' is the title of the Arsenale section of the =
51st Venice Biennale. This is an all together much cooler affair than =
Bonami's noisy thrashing of two year's ago. Whereas Bonami chose to =
invite several sub-curators to the Arsenale, resulting in a competing =
and confusing exhibition, almost the entire section has this time been =
curated by Rosa Mart=EDnez (with the exception of the underwhelming =
Chinese Pavilion, their first ever official representation, in the annex =
space occupied by 'Utopia Station Project' at the last Biennale) . The =
result is a much more coherent exhibition than the last. The title has =
been taken from that of a Venetian fictional work featuring a romantic =
traveller, "always independent, always open to chance and risk, and =
always crossing all kinds of frontiers in pursuit of his own destiny". =
There is an inevitable element of surprise in this large exhibition, =
also at times of mysticism. The general quality is mixed and it's to its =
credit that it's not as easy an exhibition to summarise as that of two =
years ago. The way Mart=EDnez has covered the huge Arsenale space has =
been to split it into an area where works presented retain the central =
fluidity of the vault like space, with another section where we are move =
between dark rooms with video projection/installation, entire immersed =
in the experience.=20

The exhibition starts with a radical feminist statement in the form of =
the Guerrilla Girls' series of giant posters proclaiming the =
inequalities between male and female representation, both in the art =
world and more particularly in Venice at Biennales. We are told that the =
percentage of woman artists in the Biennale in 1895 was 2.4, a hundred =
years later it was 9%. The Guerrilla Girls have also created a giant =
chandelier placed on the floor in the middle of the room. When you get =
close you realise that it's made out of tampons, unused. Before arriving =
in Venice I had already heard this Biennale described as the 'female =
Biennale', the two curators have been described as 'the Spanish girls', =
and here we are at the very beginning of the exhibition itself with =
feminism right on the agenda. With Barbara Kruger being awarded the =
Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement and Annette Messanger yesterday =
winning the award for the best Pavilion it's easy for cynics to be =
dismiss these achievements by saying that the odds are stacked in favour =
of the women this time around. So is it being heavy handed to start the =
show with the Guerrilla girls? Why not address this issue, I say. The =
statistics on the Guerrilla Girl's posters are real and the posters are =
also humorous and well made. The idea behind the tampon chandelier is =
corny but it is very nicely done, quite a pretty piece.=20

Having been alerted to the gender of the artists in the show it's =
difficult to then not be aware of the gender of the rest of the artists =
in the next few rooms, who are all women although looking at the press =
release now balance seems roughly equal between the sexes. There are few =
paintings in the exhibition, most works being video or three dimensional =
installation works. Semiha Berksoy's quiet paintings straight after the =
Guerrilla Girls are the exception. Runa Islam's video of a young woman =
flirting with the breaking of porcelain is retrained and effective. The =
Russian art collective, Blue Noses' work 'Quest' grabs your attention as =
soon as you enter the room which they share with Nikos Navridis' subtler =
piece. 'Quest' consists of twelve boxes with projections inside. Peering =
into the box you see humorous little scenes of naked men and women =
playing with plastic crocodiles and leapfrogging over each others. =
Navridis has another related work later in the exhibition, of a kind of =
carpet projected on the floor that suddenly starts moving. Luckily when =
I saw it I was not hungover but even so I wanted to be sick, it has such =
an immediate physical effect of the floor spinning, just like the later =
stages of drunkness.=20

There are a couple of very 'Political' works, namely Santiago Sierra's =
sound work over the doorway as you enter about how much the Biennale =
attendants are paid, Rem Koolhaas' works about gallery and museum spaces =
and Buechel & Motti's work about Cuba, the USA and Guantanamo. Generally =
though the show exhibition did not ram politics down your throat the way =
I felt Bonami did a couple of years ago, and for that reason you pay =
more attention.=20

London's 'Centre of Attention' is presenting Swansong, a white block you =
can lie on while they play the music you'd like to be heard at your =
funeral, while other Biennale visitors gawp at you and wonder if you're =
trying to impersonate Conelia Parker's Tilda Swinton sleeping. 'Morning =
Has Broken' was the choice of the Italian journalist who was lying there =
when I walked past.=20

More from the Biennale will follow, with a report from the Giardini.=20

Click here to review this review=20




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<H2><A =
href=3D"http://www.worldwidereview.com">www.worldwidereview.com</A> =
sends=20
its report from Venice....</H2>
<H2>&nbsp;</H2>
<H2>The Venice Biennale: The Arsenale<BR>Reviews</H2>
<P><B>From: </B>Eva<BR><B>Category: </B>Art<BR><B>Date: </B>11 June =
2005<BR></P>
<H3>Review</H3>
<P>'Always a Little Further' is the title of the Arsenale section of the =
51st=20
Venice Biennale. This is an all together much cooler affair than =
Bonami's noisy=20
thrashing of two year's ago. Whereas Bonami chose to invite several =
sub-curators=20
to the Arsenale, resulting in a competing and confusing exhibition, =
almost the=20
entire section has this time been curated by Rosa Mart=EDnez (with the =
exception=20
of the underwhelming Chinese Pavilion, their first ever official =
representation,=20
in the annex space occupied by 'Utopia Station Project' at the last =
Biennale) .=20
The result is a much more coherent exhibition than the last. The title =
has been=20
taken from that of a Venetian fictional work featuring a romantic =
traveller,=20
"always independent, always open to chance and risk, and always crossing =
all=20
kinds of frontiers in pursuit of his own destiny". There is an =
inevitable=20
element of surprise in this large exhibition, also at times of =
mysticism. The=20
general quality is mixed and it's to its credit that it's not as easy an =

exhibition to summarise as that of two years ago. The way Mart=EDnez has =
covered=20
the huge Arsenale space has been to split it into an area where works =
presented=20
retain the central fluidity of the vault like space, with another =
section where=20
we are move between dark rooms with video projection/installation, =
entire=20
immersed in the experience.=20
<P>The exhibition starts with a radical feminist statement in the form =
of the=20
Guerrilla Girls' series of giant posters proclaiming the inequalities =
between=20
male and female representation, both in the art world and more =
particularly in=20
Venice at Biennales. We are told that the percentage of woman artists in =
the=20
Biennale in 1895 was 2.4, a hundred years later it was 9%. The Guerrilla =
Girls=20
have also created a giant chandelier placed on the floor in the middle =
of the=20
room. When you get close you realise that it's made out of tampons, =
unused.=20
Before arriving in Venice I had already heard this Biennale described as =
the=20
'female Biennale', the two curators have been described as 'the Spanish =
girls',=20
and here we are at the very beginning of the exhibition itself with =
feminism=20
right on the agenda. With Barbara Kruger being awarded the Golden Lion =
for=20
Lifetime Achievement and Annette Messanger yesterday winning the award =
for the=20
best Pavilion it's easy for cynics to be dismiss these achievements by =
saying=20
that the odds are stacked in favour of the women this time around. So is =
it=20
being heavy handed to start the show with the Guerrilla girls? Why not =
address=20
this issue, I say. The statistics on the Guerrilla Girl's posters are =
real and=20
the posters are also humorous and well made. The idea behind the tampon=20
chandelier is corny but it is very nicely done, quite a pretty piece.=20
<P>Having been alerted to the gender of the artists in the show it's =
difficult=20
to then not be aware of the gender of the rest of the artists in the =
next few=20
rooms, who are all women although looking at the press release now =
balance seems=20
roughly equal between the sexes. There are few paintings in the =
exhibition, most=20
works being video or three dimensional installation works. Semiha =
Berksoy's=20
quiet paintings straight after the Guerrilla Girls are the exception. =
Runa=20
Islam's video of a young woman flirting with the breaking of porcelain =
is=20
retrained and effective. The Russian art collective, Blue Noses' work =
'Quest'=20
grabs your attention as soon as you enter the room which they share with =
Nikos=20
Navridis' subtler piece. 'Quest' consists of twelve boxes with =
projections=20
inside. Peering into the box you see humorous little scenes of naked men =
and=20
women playing with plastic crocodiles and leapfrogging over each others. =

Navridis has another related work later in the exhibition, of a kind of =
carpet=20
projected on the floor that suddenly starts moving. Luckily when I saw =
it I was=20
not hungover but even so I wanted to be sick, it has such an immediate =
physical=20
effect of the floor spinning, just like the later stages of drunkness.=20
<P>There are a couple of very 'Political' works, namely Santiago =
Sierra's sound=20
work over the doorway as you enter about how much the Biennale =
attendants are=20
paid, Rem Koolhaas' works about gallery and museum spaces and Buechel =
&amp;=20
Motti's work about Cuba, the USA and Guantanamo. Generally though the =
show=20
exhibition did not ram politics down your throat the way I felt Bonami =
did a=20
couple of years ago, and for that reason you pay more attention.=20
<P>London's 'Centre of Attention' is presenting Swansong, a white block =
you can=20
lie on while they play the music you'd like to be heard at your funeral, =
while=20
other Biennale visitors gawp at you and wonder if you're trying to =
impersonate=20
Conelia Parker's Tilda Swinton sleeping. 'Morning Has Broken' was the =
choice of=20
the Italian journalist who was lying there when I walked past.=20
<P>More from the Biennale will follow, with a report from the Giardini. =
</P>
<P><A=20
href=3D"http://www.worldwidereview.com/_vti_bin/shtml.exe/Reviews_post.ht=
m?6740"=20
target=3Dmain name=3Ddisabled webbot-href=3D"--WEBBOT-REPLY--"><FONT =
size=3D1>Click here=20
to review this review</FONT></A><FONT size=3D1> </FONT><B><A=20
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