Moving Images in Venice
There are no doubts: the powerful French patron François Pinault, tycoon of the international fashion system, is one of the most influential – thus controversial – figure of the contemporary art world of the last decade. Some years ago Mr. Pinault, giving way to the lagoon city’s charm, set up home for his art pieces at the neoclassical Palazzo Grassi in Venice and opened the doors of an extraordinary collection that put together works of all the greatest artists of the 20th and 21st century. The exhibition space has since become an artistic hub, hosting thematic temporary shows arranged by international renowned curators, such as the latest exhibition La voce delle immagini (The voice of the images), curated by Caroline Bourgeois, opened simultaneously with the 13th international Architecture Biennale (29th August – 25th November 2012) and the 69th Venice International Film Festival (29th August – 8th September 2012).
In the current shows everything talks about and around moving images – the strict connection to movies seems to be a constant of this city. The works of twenty-five artists, on display in the hall and on the first floor of the building, investigate the relationship between visual plasticity of human body and its fragile existence, between documentation and the mystery of unknown facts, all through the exploitation of different media (film, installation, audio/video art).
This is the case of the video/sound installation Hall of Whispers (1995) by Bill Viola: ten B/W close-ups of men and women surrounded by a darkness and uncertain atmosphere from which only whispers come. In Uomoduomo (2000), the video projection presented by Anri Sala, an old and weak man (perhaps a homeless one) sleeps on a bench of the Duomo in Milano among Cathedral’s indifferent visitors; while the Man depicted by the Israeli artist Yael Bartana in A Declaration (2006) is a sort of pioneer of the reconciliation armed with an olive tree, which will replace an Israel flag waving on an Andromeda’s rock, which immediately reminds a poetic reflection on national symbols and the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Beyond giving an excursus of the contemporary video art, the exhibition is the occasion to present, for the first time in Europe, the remarkable work by the American physicist/mathematician/artist Bruce Nauman entitled For Beginners (all the combinations of the thumb and fingers), purchased by François Pinault in 2011.
Among the other artists on view: Adel Abdessemed, Peter Aerschmann, Mohamed Bourouissa, Paul Chan, Liu Da Hong, Yang Fudong, Cao Fei, Peter Fischli e David Weiss, Michel François, Abdulnasser Gharem, Johan Grimonprez, Hassan Khan, Taro Izumi, Cameron Jamie, Zoe Leonard, Shirin Neshat, William Pope L., Javier Tellez and Mark Wallinger.
La voce delle immagini will run until 13th January 2013 at Palazzo Grassi, while at Punta della Dogana the show Elogio del dubbio (In praise of doubt) will be on view until 31st December 2012.
