Five dissonant dreams to travel solo

The spring season of shows in Venice and those to do not miss that are closing

section: blog

18-04-2016
categories: Design, Architecture, Art, Books,

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Five dissonant dreams to travel solo

The spring season of shows in Venice and those to do not miss that are closing

There is not a Palazzo (and an island) that had not opened a new exhibition in the last few weeks in Venice and you may know that either the firsts and the seconds are many here. By waiting for the Architecture Biennale that will speak of social and emergency housing and people as nobody did before, many foundations and cultural institutions already started a row of exhibition to do not miss. This precocious and hot spring in the lagoon allows to dream nicely. We decided to select only five dreams that are dramatically different one from the others (and all distant from the cultural focus the Fondazione Biennale launched this time).



Helmut Newton with the complicity of the homonymous foundation managing the heritage of the long-lived artist, gifts a corpus of gigantic pictures (but also of smaller ones) of his celebrated top-models often portrayed in incredible interiors or in romantic and dark nocturnal cityscapes. The exhibition runs until August 7 at the stunning Casa dei Tre Oci and very much of Italy is present. It has been already written and told a lot about this exhibit (considering that it shows the Series that are still the most famous of the history of contemporary photography). The most essential trace is a small pearl: a video of the making of his sets, unveiling a pleasure-seeker and anti-divo artist  who often if not always wants to tell an authentic portrait of his subjects even if they are rock-stars or VIP (a very nice part is with Pavarotti, when the Maestro started to shoot Newton).

This photographer originated a genre, the feminine nude at full size (in the sense of either full page or full wall) and also inaugurated an uncanny series of combination of materials, techniques (light included) and poses that became a must. So, sometimes you will think those pictures tell you nothing new because even nowadays everybody – from a magazine to an artist-run company or a fashion group – continues to copy his style unfortunately by tarnish the sense of femininity that he was able to grab in a such predatory and sweet, at a time, habit.

Today fashion and the industry of the image should re-evaluate themselves and go back to school.
The picture to do not miss is of a statue of a madonna (that was in Poggibonsi, Toscana) which corolla is made of a marvellous, gaunt and lucid industrial neon light.

A woman who slips away from her nudes and in that nocturnal picture embodies an incredible personality – either quiet and fervent.



Le Stanze del Vetro gifts (in the real sense of the word: the private museum of Landau/Kahane couple is always free of entrance and the design of the free guides is perfect) the second historical exhibition taking in account a different country from Italy and that is very simple and effective for those who browse shows to learn and not only to enjoy. Until July 31, with the collaboration of MAK (Wien), The Glass of the Architects. Vienna 1900-1937 is showing the first glasses of modern Austria when the country was in the between of the Empire and the first republic. At San Giorgio Island the Glass House by Sugimoto is still open (it is just in front of the museum entrance) and from April 18 it will be following the summer hours (until 7 pm). If still is missing, we suggest you to make its experience, it is a place of endless peace. You can also plan to bring your tea and sit on the benches by sipping it with calm looking at the white polished pebbles and at the mosaics that wink to the sun.


Among the first printers, from 1494 at Sant’Agostin, Manuzio has been one of the finest culture maestro in Venice (and beyond) and a monstre-exhibition (for the boldness of its advertising plan) is dedicated to him at Accademia. The dates are to be set in your agenda: Aldo Manuzio. Il Rinascimento di Venezia will be open until June 19. Of this show its workshops are interesting and free: they also allow a free guided tour of the exhibit (from 4.45 pm). They are spammed with regular cadence all along the show dates.


Pinault Foundation has just opened the new exhibits in both its venues in town. There is a gigantic solo show of German artist Sigmar Polke at Palazzo Grassi, San Samuele (until June 11) and a collective exhibition, Accrochage (until November 20), of 19 artists working on the topic of the void at Punta della Dogana. Very different and abundant are the collateral initiatives of both the exhibits (lasting also beyond the opening days): screenings, conferences and concerts (it is a good idea to take often a look at the Teatrino calendar or follow the Foundation socials: the majority of them are free)

If you've lost the four extraordinary portraits of all female artists (Henriette Fortuny, Romaine Brooks, Ida Barbarigo, Sarah Moon) through the exceptional, sometimes secluded, lives and their works at Palazzo Fortuny* the former season, do not panic. This season is - although different - very promising with the exhibition (and a stunning catalogue, an artwork per se) of a selected bouquet of Enea Righi's contemporary art collection, very notable for its artists' books and for a mix of very well known artists (72 in total: from the kind of 'historical and consolidated' Alighiero Boetti and Lawrence Weiner, to the ones - more contemporary - like Zoe Leonard and Walid Raad, so actual). The title of the show, “Quand fondra la neige, où ira le blanc” is borrowed by one of the artists on show, Remi Zaugg and the selection of the pieces has been made in order to make more natural possible the presence of the works (until October 10) in the stunning workshop and house of Maestro Fortuny.

 

*This news has been modified on June 9, 2016

 

 

 

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