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Venice Biennale-Making Worlds

So this past July I went to Venice to attend the Olympics of Art, the Venice Biennale. This years 53rd annual international art exhibit was breath-taking, avante-garde, and caused me to wear down the soles of several shoes.

If you are brave enough to bear the heat, crowds, and art-till-you-barf-fanatics you should go to Venice before the Biennale ends. Some of my favorite pavilions and artist solo exhibits from the various locations spread throughout the city and islands:

Yoko Ono (USA): Anton’s Memory

Bruce Nauman (USA): Topological Gardens

Shaun Gladwell (Austrailia): MADDESTMAXIMVS

Denmark & Nordic Countries (Finland, Norway, Sweden) : The Collectors

Mark Lewis (Canada): Cold Mornings

Other must-see pavilions & sites: Egypt, Spain, Mexico, Poland, Israel, Venezuela, the Peter Greenway film “Le Nozze di Cana”

A helpful pocket guide can be obtained here: www.artworldvencie.com. Check out the Giardini, Arsenale, San Clemente, and other art through my eyes.

After a few days in Venice we travelled to Ravenna to check out the famous Byzantine mosaics from the Ottoman Empire under Justinian’s rule. After 2  days we headed south to the Amalfi coast to go to cooking school for 5 days, with a program called The International Kitchen, where we enjoyed learning hands-on techniques, cooked with fresh ingredients, and made traditional recipes taught by the masters of Italian cuisine.

I think I found love!