The challenge is always to use materials in a new and different way, and make them convey meaning and portray form in a manner that has not previously been seen.

Venice Biennale 2017 – Viva Arte Viva

John McDonald |  The Sydney Morning Herald | May 19, 2017

Excerpt…

Ask people to name the most romantic city in the world, and Venice is usually at the top of the list – but there are dissenters. D.H. Lawrence said Venice was green, slippery and abhorrent, and he didn’t even have to contend with the crowds in the Giardini and Arsenale during the opening days of the Venice Biennale.

Every time I find myself standing for an hour in front of a national pavilion waiting to see who-knows-what, I incline a little more towards Lawrence’s opinion. Although maybe not the green and slippery bits.

It’s universally agreed that queues are a blight and a pestilence, yet every year they seem to get longer. If I were director of the Biennale I’d ban any exhibition that required a queue, but countries are currently being rewarded for inflicting misery on hapless viewers….

… Meanwhile, the indefatigable Andrew Rogers drew an impressive crowd when he showed a series of bronze and stainless steel sculptures, titled We Are, at Palazzo Mora. He even got Gerard Vaughan, director of the National Gallery of Australia to make the opening address.

Click here to read the entire article

http://johnmcdonald.net.au/2017/venice-biennale-2017-viva-arte-viva/