SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2011
JOHN-OCCHIO
John Edwards has a long history of denying things that later turn out to be true.
My big fat Greek myth
Comic-book writer updates ancient lore (and kicks butt)
VENETIAN LIGHTS
Biennale attracts bigger crowds and art's biggest ideas
BY PADDY JOHNSON
Before the Venice Biennale, art world professionals knew to book hotel rooms four months in advance. This year, though, the Biennale has been unusually well-attended; hotels in towns more than 45 minutes outside the city are already full. The Daily spoke to several journalists who had arrived to find their rooms simply given away in the frenzy.
Even without these anecdotes, the sheer volume of visitors would be plain to anyone in attendance. Lines to get into the main exhibition at the Giardini Pavilion stretched as far as the eye could see. The U.S. Pavilion, which is hosting the work of Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla, received 5,000 visitors in one day alone.
As is typical of the fine art world, “ILLUMInations” (the title of Biennale’s exhibition) is supposed to reference many concepts at once. It’s about nations coming together, paying homage to the city of Venice and acknowledging light as an enduring theme in art.
Following the last concept, three paintings by the great Venice painter Tintoretto have been included in this year’s exhibition, though Biennale curator Bice Curiger said the decision wasn’t meant to “celebrate eternal values.” “Anti-classical forces are especially topical today,” she said.
The exhibition showcases the work of 83 international artists, and occupies buildings in Venice’s Arsanale and Giardini. There is so much work and so many people that — even with a cohesive theme — the opening has the feel of an art fair. In this context, it’s hard to make sense of anything that doesn’t work on a purely visual level.
Unlike a fair, the show is relatively low on paintings, and the video screening rooms have been unusually popular. Works that were grabbing attention this year included an enveloping light installation by James Turrell and Urs Fischer’s giant reproduction of Giambologna’s sculpture “The Rape of the Sabine Women,” rendered in candle wax.
The pavilions were especially popular this year, if for no other reason than the ease of viewing they afford. With each typically presenting a solo show, these exhibitions provided a much-needed visual rest from the main exhibition. Of the most notable was Thomas Hirschhorn’s “Crystal of Resistance,” at the Swiss Pavilion, a DIY labyrinth of lawn chairs covered in cellphones, aluminum foil-covered tubes and printouts of images of bloody war corpses found on the Internet.
At the U.S. Pavilion, Allora and Calzadilla stood with their giant tank powering a treadmill, and an airline seat that doubled as a balance beam. (The duo has collaborated with Olympic athletes who developed routines specifically for these sculptures.)
Class and transportation is a more topical theme than even the duo could have predicted. One day earlier, a boat worker strike threatened to make getting to the Biennale particularly difficult. Thankfully, the strike was averted. And the Biennale shines on.
Glenn O'Brien on How to Be a Man
Style arbiter Glenn O'Brien discusses How to Be a Man with The Daily. Video by Shalini Sharma and Jonathan Tortora
Wonderfully Imaginative Photos of People Posing with the Moon
BY EDW LYNCH
French photographer Laurent Laveder has taken a very clever and imaginative series of photographs of people posing with the Moon. The photos are featured in a French language poetry book, Quartier Livre.
Ohio State U. student reporter gets death threats
Twenty-one-year-old student reporter Zack Meisel helped break a story that arguably led to the resignation of revered Ohio St. coach Jim Tressel. But just a week from graduation--and a couple of death threats later--he's seeing that being a good journalist doesn't necessarily make you the big man on campus.
- Video by Alvin Patrick
The sun sets on 42nd Street in New York City during “Manhattanhenge,” a biannual occurrence in the busy city on May 30.
“Manhattanhenge,” named by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, occurs when the setting sun aligns itself with the east-west grid of streets in Manhattan, allowing the sun to shine down all streets at the same time.
Credit: The Daily (www.thedaily.com)
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