Woohoo it is Biennale time! Every two years Venice just bursts at its seams from all the art squashed into every last crevice of the city. Arsenale is one of the two main sites of the Biennale. A gorgeous location for showcasing different media of of art.
The first part consists of several large sections with themed artworks, the second part consists of national pavilions representing different countries. National pavilions can also be found at the second main site Giardini and all over Venice!
Threads and fabrics are all over Arsenale, representing connections and intertwined fates.
threads and yarn – mending clothes
threaded words
One artwork is a stack of instagram prints, decaying due to droplets of water dropping from the ceiling, creating craters and erosion – artwork with development.
printed instagrams from Venice with water dripping down on the stack of paper
beautiful buildings for art exhibition
Interactive is another keyword of this year’s Biennale – A big cozy tent made of a giant crochet work, complete with cushions and bark mulch, protected from the busy streams of visitors zooming past the tent.
organic tent to rest for a short while – how cool is it sitting inside art
I always appreciate artwork interacting with its surroundings, and this artwork seems fun and colorful.
pompoms
Miniature figures interacting with life-sized puddles, fabrics, pianos and trinkets. This woman is cleaning a giant stream of red powder.
cleaning red powder
rooms with mirrors
On to the national pavilions! National artwork is a bit more about blending traditional art and crafts and modern topics and techniques.
masks
A modern Chinese shadow puppet theater, originating from the area around Xi’an. Originally made from donkey hide and colored, the puppets are often used to tell ancient legends and stories. Here, a lot of myths get a redo and a new headline, whilst reinforcing the relationship and connection between the avantgarde art scene and artists preserving traditional craft.
modern interpretation of traditional shadow puppets
the Chinese Pavilion
Have another look at the beautiful location of Arsenale, how amazing are those arches?
Arsenale – how beautiful do the arches look
Arsenale – beautiful location
Some more national pavilions. Latvia with its parallel universe of alien dinosaurs sacrificing humans and other gruesome scenes.
parallel universe
South African represented with a beautiful black and white video installation of people travelling on boats, submerged in water.
video installation about people on boats
October 26th – November 1st 2017