The Venice Biennal

The Venice Biennial is meant to be one of the contemporary art events, so I'm quite excited at the prospect of seeing it later this year. I confess I'm also a bit doubtful and apprehensive because a lot of conceptual and installation art passes me by, or leaves me with a momentary "that's a neat/cute/unusual idea" thought, but nothing more. But then as I won't be in Venice specifically for the event, but rather to visit the city, I guess it won't matter if it does.

It was with interest that I read an article in FT.com by Peter Aspden "A mission to make sense of the Biennale". Apparently in the last biennale there were 300 artists exhibiting and "Anyone trying to make sense of it all would be better off trying to work out the city's notoriously opaque house numbering system."

This year's will have just 91 artists; whether it's any easier to get my head around, I'll let you know... If I do the maths: 91 artists divided by 5 days makes about 18 a day. And then there are all the main-stream tourist things to see and do in Venice too... Best I get a very good pair of running shoes and start getting fit now!

Or maybe I'll just continue to sloth at my computer and browse around the Venice Biennial website, dreaming of a holiday to come, planning what to see. (And thinking about working on my cityscapes and reflections sketching skills!)