Surviving Venice

Of course me and my former dean, S Chandrasekaran who was also performing in one of the collateral events. All clean shaven this man... but fitter and happier.


Happy People at the Mexican Pavillion, from left Zul, Anita, Robert, me, Robert's friend and Ajeet (former schoolmate who is working at the Mexican Pavillion)


San Marco at 3am, on our way back finding the night ferry.


The floating market near San Margherita.


Venizian graffiti in Campo San Margherita.


Iceberg installation at the Piazza Academmia, not far from the Singapore Pavillion

Well, I have survived Venice and now I have a jet lag with a slight vertigo, a week traveling in taxi boats giving me a very strange feeling. I do miss the food here, no chili for a week is tough for me. But nice to be back, and I had to go for rehearsal this morning with Cake Theatre with a little jetlag.

Everyone had a fair share of star sightings in Venice, Zul saw Naomi Campbell in one of the openings, Vincent saw Salma Hayek gallery visiting, and I met Tsai Ming Liang at the Taiwanese Pavillion, he was talking to a couple of confused European curators. I should have said hello, but I was too shy… but I swear to god I saw Moby passed by me while sipping my cappucino at the Accademia.

The Peggy Guggeinheim Collection was awesome, I stood in front of the Picassos, Kandinskys, Margrittes, De Chirico and all the legends of 20th century modernist painters… looking at Pollock in the last section brought me to a standstill. I saw these works in art books, but all of them looked so fresh and crispy.

In another section, Barney/Beuys exhibition was on, they were fantastic as well, the works were placed side by side, and you can see the impact Barney had in his works… well yes being an Art tourist, I had to buy a T-shirt.

One week in Venice was enough to put me into a situation where I felt like I have to rethink about my practice. I am inspired but yet I feel like there is a need to understand how it works in the art world.

I have never witnessed an opening where people were trying to bash through the doors without invitations. That happened in the Mexican Pavillion, music was loud, people were dancing, exchanging name cards, introduced to many people and forgot their names within hours…

I can never imagine that I walked through the Arsenale for half a day looking at works from all around the world, and it was simply remarkable… tired but good, Sophie Calle’s works were amazing. Emins’ drawings and installations were intimate, the Serbian Pavillion was a combination of old school/new school which I really like.

Baselitz showed his new works, Polke, Richter, and there were just too many to mention. I missed the Thai pavilion, the German ones as well where you have to queue up for 45 minutes to view the work.

I am going to take a rest now, and prepare for Documenta in July.