Modern Art in Venice

While wandering around Venice and soaking up all the beauty of the moldering city and its canals, we noticed a lot of art--not just museums with works by the old masters, but also a lot of modern art. The Venice Biennale is a contemporary art exhibit that's been going on since 1895, and the associated exhibits scattered all over the city and surrounding islands contrast in really interesting ways with the old buildings and winding canals. Some of them were really neat, and some of them were rather avant garde (i.e., strange). There are a few that I particularly remember...

On the walk to our apartment, our guide pointed out an art installation just down the street from our apartment. I was interested in checking it out until she told us that the installation was primarily composed of walls covered in the skins of white lab rats. We skipped that one and so I don't have any pictures, but if you're curious you can check it out. This was by far the strangest one we [almost] saw, though I heard that in an exhibit somewhere else in Venice you could see a self-portrait sculpture made out of the artist's frozen blood...which might qualify is as weird or weirder.

waterbus ride!

At the advice of our guide, we left the crowds behind and caught a waterbus to the island of San Giorgio. Before we even got to the island, we noticed that it was home to some pretty eye-catching art.

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From far away, this statue seemed bizarre and out of place.  What was it? Why was it there?? Once we got to the island, we read the caption and learned that it was the center piece at the 2012 London Paralympics. It's a model of a woman who was born without arms, but decided that she wanted to have a family. Once we learned the story, it seemed much less strange (though still very big--35 feet tall!--and very pink!). Definitely a statement piece.

After checking out the statue, we climbed the church tower to enjoy views of the Piazza San Marco. It was wonderfully breezy, and such a relief after the hot sun and crowds!

Once we cooled off and got our fill of the views, we walked by the docks and came across handful of huge, golden shells. I really, really wanted to climb inside one, but guards were posted along the walkway to keep people off the shells. They were made by the same guy who created the figure for the Paralympics. (And also, as I learned later, the guy who created a self-portrait sculpted out of his frozen blood. Clearly he is not a man constrained by his medium.)

Venice was so lovely, and I especially loved discovering the less well-known parts. Secluded alleys, quiet bridges, and the unexpected bit of art were some of the most memorable parts of our visit!