hyde or die

» First announcements for 2011 Venice Biennale

London. France has beaten everyone in the race to select its 54th Venice Biennale artist: Jean-Hubert Martin, former director of the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Kunsthalle Bern, will present veteran artist Christian Boltanski in the French Pavilion in 2011. France’s previous representatives in Venice include Annette Messager, who won the biennale’s Lion d’Or prize in 2005; Sophie Calle followed in 2007 while Claude Lévêque featured in last year’s exhibition. Iceland was next, selecting Spanish-Icelandic duo Libia Castro and Ólafur Ólafsson, who met in the Netherlands in 1997 and who live and work together in Berlin. Their work is laden with social and political comment. “They collaborate with a range of people from chief executives and ministers to homeless people, political activists and fortune tellers,” according to a spokeswoman at the Center for Icelandic Art in Reykjavík. The duo won last year’s Dutch Prix de Rome award for their film about EU lobbyists, Lobbyists, 2009.

New Years 2011 resolution, go to Venice for the Biennale.

January 21, 2010, 1:38pm  

Elmgreen & Dragset The Collectors 2009

I feel like I have seen more than one artist use this imagery in their work lately (or I have just never noticed the artists name when I look at it) and all I can think of is that opening scene from Sunset Blvd.  I don’t think that’s weird.

June 08, 2009, 10:38am  

Bruce Nauman Fifteen Pairs of Hands 2009

photo by Christian Sinibaldi

I hear the talk of the town (that town being Venice) is Nauman at the US Pavilion. 

June 06, 2009, 2:37pm  

» Mike Bouchet's Venice Biennale installation sank...

It was going to be a replica of a typical American suburban house that would be floating on the water like a boat.  Unfortunately it sank.  I think it’s more fitting.

The link above is the video of it sinking.  They disabled embedding so that will take you to the youtube page.  It’s worth a watch.

June 05, 2009, 11:10am  

Shaun Gladwell Tangera 2003

I enjoy the defiance of gravity and feats of strength.  Character building.

Gladwell will be represented through the Australian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale this year.

Coffee with a nice slice of longing for breakfast on this gloomy Wednesday morning.

June 03, 2009, 9:31am  

Lamya Gargash Al Jazira Lobby, from the Familial series 2009

The UAE Pavilion, located in the Arsenale, is the first national pavilion ever to be created at the Biennale by an Arabian Gulf country. It is being developed and presented under the leadership of its Commissioner, Dr. Lamees Hamdan, a member of the Board of Directors of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. Serving as curator for the UAE Pavilion is Tirdad Zolghadr, an internationally respected curator, critic, professor and filmmaker. via…

I’m not bitter that I’m not going to Venice Biennale. Not at all.  

May 24, 2009, 5:33pm  

Tomas Saraceno Galaxies Forming Along Filaments, Like Droplets Along the Strands of a Spider 2008

I guess it’s award recipient day. Saraceno has just received the Calder Award which recognizes accomplishment in early careers.  It also awards $50,000.

So, Tomas…I was thinking, with all this extra cash lying around if you wanted me to fly in and see your show at the Venice Biennale that could be cool.  No biggie.  You know how to get a hold of me if you change your mind.

May 21, 2009, 10:03am  

Raffi Lavie  2004

Sometimes I wonder if art is just there to remind me how poor I am.  Not really in a mocking way, just in a “you don’t have enough to buy a ticket to the Venice Biennale this year, like last year, and probably next year, to see the things that Raffi Lavie put together for the Israel Pavillion.”

So, it’s not in a mean way, just very matter of fact.

May 21, 2009, 8:57am