It’s always good to refresh the soul as it were by going on a trip. Even more so if your iPhone is stolen for the second time in a row attending a Gogol Bordello gig. Eugene if you read this, you can take this gypsy punk thing a bit too far..
ROBERT WILSON – SALZBURG
First stop this year has been Salzburg. The skies of Mozart’s place of birth were black and there was rain, but that did not matter as we went to MÖNCHSBERG for a two very interesting exhibits. First there was VIDEO PORTRAITS by Robert Wilson. Wilson makes long languid studies of (mostly famous) people and sometimes animals. They are beautifully lighted with the portrayed moving oh so slightly. My personal favourites were Peter Stormare trapped in his own pose, Winonah Ryder and a sand castle and Jeanne Moreau as a painted portrait of an old master. Oh and I almost forgot, Isabelle Huppert is stunning as Greta Garbo.
Here’s a still of Robert Downey jr as a detail in one of Rembrandt’s more famous paintings.
On a more critical note, I’m not too sure about Wilson’s use of music and vocal commentary. It does not add extra meaning. I thought it was quite destracting, certainly in this exhibit where the various sounds of the various portraits created an indistinguishable sonic blur. Very nice exhibit though! You have until October 16th to have a look yourself. The MdM is also showing Rolemodels-Roleplaying which is also worth visiting. Title of the exhibit says it all really. It’s not all of consistent quality and sometimes a bit boringly gender correct, but the photography of Cindy Sherman is always worth watching.
FUTURE PASS – VENICE
It’s Biennale time in sunny Venice. This year’s theme is ILLUMINATIONS. Haven’t been to the pavillions in Arsenale and Giardini yet, but have been to FUTURE PASS at Salute. FUTURE PASS is an exhibit in two locations. Today we are going to the one at Cannareggio. FUTURE PASS is where east meets west, the past meets the future, and the virtual meets the real. It’s quite eclectic with several types of video art, 3D animation, sculptures and graphic art. Read all about it here: FUTURE PASS.
Favorite of the exhibit are the works of art group KAIKAI KIKI co. Ltd. One of the joys of these kind of exhibits is that it’s art for fun. This is extended to the security, no grumpy security dudes and no hisses of “no photography!” As a result I would like to show a very short excerpt of the 3D animation of MIAO XIAOCHUN, but I can’t now as MP4’s can not be loaded on wordpress, maybe later.