Finally hearing more reports and reviews of Venice. So Francesco Vezzoli's trailer for an imaginary remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula is the favorite of Artforum-istes and the Guardian alike? How amazingly uncritical of these critics to not notice that a star-filled, 5-minute trailer filled with S&M orgies--a contrived and condensed meta-work for a film that won't exist, a series of shorthanded, empty, titillating referents--is perfectly and cynically designed for ADD-addled art worlders at a sprawling Biennale? Don't these people know when they're being targeted?
Also in Artforum: "I'm still bored." and "Math is hard! Let's go shopping!"
The Times is pleasantly relieved, if not surprised.
And WPS1, well who knows what WPS1 thinks, since their live-via-FM programs from Venice are still not online?
[update from Our Man In Venice:
Subject: Hands off my boy Vezzoli.On the list of somewhat dubious accomplishments, then, "Highlight of the Biennale" ranks slightly below "better than Phantom Menace," but still miles ahead of "well-known blogger."
> Sorry my friend -- Vezzoli's work was one of the highlights of an absolutely
> terrible Biennale. Ignore (as usual) Kimmelman's review; Claire Bishop at
> artforum.com had it about right. The arsenale was the worst p.o.s. I have
> ever seen -- so terrible that I have issued a fatwa against Rosa Martinez.
> The national pavillions were passable; the italian pavillion was perfectly
> respectable. Offsite, Pippilotti Rist, Karen Kilimnik and Olafur Eliasson
> looked great. The Lucian Freud show at Museo Correr was perhaps the best
> thing in all of Venice (other than Paul Allen's yacht -- any relation?).
