On arrival yesterday we took vaporetto No. 2 to Giudecca where we'd rented an apartment for eight nights. It was dark, the weather stormy, and the water in the wide canal, also called Giudecca, was choppy. As we waited for the property manager to meet us a small boat pulled up, just off the sidewalk, which has no railing, the Italians trusting pedestrians to avoid falling in like they also trust drivers not to mow down pedestrians when they share a ferry ramp, anyway this small boat pulled up with a young fellow at the controls. He smiled and said he was here to let us in to the apartment but couldn't get out of the boat, something about a problem with the engine, if he turned it off it'd be hard to restart. So, he said, here are the keys, he then tossed them to us and said the instructions are in the apartment. Ciao he said then he disappeared into the dark canal.
The keys opened a nondescript door just opposite from where he left us (and, we'd discover in the morning, next to a patisserie), the door opening into a very long and very narrow hallway, faced with plaster that remains on your shoulders when you brush it, then two flights of stairs and then into a wonderful, almost perfect, a tiny demerit as the patio wasn't waterfront, apartment. It's large, modern, light-filled, quiet, and supplied with every amenity we need. A detailed instruction book was sitting on the dining table. Bonus points for great waterfront views, a shower that doesn't leak, plenty of electrical outlets, and that nearby vaporetto stop (Giudecca Palanca if you're looking at a map) that gets us quickly to the heart of Venice.
We then acquainted ourselves with the immediate neighborhood and stocked the fridge with the results from a run to the nearby Coop grocery so that the next morning, the morning of this post, we could take vaporetto No. 2 across the canal to Dorsoduro to begin our explorations. And that's what we did today, we wandered a tiny bit of Venice where we quickly ran into three exhibits, hence the title of this post, one from Azerbaijan and two from Iran, each a part of the Biennale. Along the way my attitude towards Venice changed. I'm really glad we're here.
We started the day with an exhibit from the Biennale. The Australian Living Rocks: A Fragment of the Universe uses sculpture, images, water, and sound to take the viewer on an immersive journey from the beginning of life on earth to the present day. It is projected on a screen 36m long and 3m high and it's fronted by a 36m-long pool. From the pool emerge thrombolites, rock-like microbial structures that were the beginnings of life. A very mesmerizing work, the photos below don't do it justice.
We also visited Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, better known as the Frari church. An imposing structure, this old (1492) church is full of Venetian art by such masters as the painter Titian and the sculptor Canova, both of whom are buried in the church.
There's something for everyone at the Venice Biennale. Painting. Sculpture. Film. Today we were at the Biennale's Arsenale location where I especially enjoyed the films. Most are short, maybe 15', and they run in a loop so you walk in at a random location and just watch until it loops back to where you started.
We're back to the Biennale for more painting/sculpture/video/sound/sensory fun.
Our third and last day at the Biennale. Today it's the Giardini, the previous two days were at the Arsenale.
When: March - November in odd years. Alternates with Biennale Architecture. Open 10-6 every day except Mondays.
Because of the pandemic the next Biennale Art is scheduled for 2022.
Where: Exhibits are split between the Arsenale, an old military post, and the Giardini, a park. They are next to each other (and at the opposite end of town from the train station and cruise ships). There are also country-sponsored pavilions on these sites and scattered in town.
How much time: 3-4 days for the Arsenale and Giardini, a few more days for the exhibits in town.
Tickets: The Arsenale and the Giardini take different tickets. The country pavilions outside the Arsenale and Giardini didn't ask for tickets, but what you really want to see are those two. Single-entry tickets are available online but the more useful multi-day, multi-entry pass (€35/3 days, for example) must be bought in person and with ID. Go with your passport to the Arsenale ticket office the afternoon before to purchase passes and while at the ticket desk buy the very nice guide, too, it's around €20.
Photography is allowed.
Vaporetto: The Arsenale and Giardini each have their own stop but they're not far apart, and it's an easy walk from San Marco.
The films at the Biennale were super and there were a lot to see. They were on topics like AI, data representation, colonialism, pop culture, predictions, making a sandwich, teleportation. At the exhibit the films are sort of hidden, you know a film is there when you see a black curtain, that leads to a black hallway, that then leads to a black room (I've made my point, it's dark) where the film runs in a loop. Somehow I didn't trip or bump anyone. As your eyes adjust you make out people, sitting or standing. Usually there are not enough chairs. If it's promising I stay, if its got either too much or not enough on screen I leave.
There is no indication of where you are in the movie, it runs in a continuous loop. People come and go, after a complete loop or just long enough to decide to take a pass. It's odd at first, then not. A few minutes watching Bart Simpson smoke a cigarette was enough of one. Others I'd gladly see over and over again.
