(Part 1)
Back from seeing all the art at Manifesta (for those who are not familiar with it: it is the European Biennial that changes country as well as curatorial team every 2 years), which this year was in Northern Italy split over 4 towns.
I will come back later and edit this entry, but I just wanted to check in and say: I am back and busier than ever.
This morning I spent some time translating Emilt Speed's text from Enlgish into German with her, which was a really nice way of engaging with her art work, actually. Translating someone else's thoughts is a very intimate way of engaging. (Emily Speed's blog: /p/417942/)
So here's the travel itinerary: Flight with Ryan Air to Venice, 2 nights in a dormitory there and many hours spent wandering the small back alleys and crossing plenty of it's 410 bridges, taking photographs for my friend's 99 year old grandmother. So that was a very nice occupation.
Then by train to Trento, Roveretto, Bolzano and Fortezza, spending a night in a dormitory in Trento, eating the most memorable dessert without dinner (couldn't afford both so opted for the dessert, like the grown up that I am…) saw the Exhibition at the old Post Office, had the whole team on the go to fix my friend's art work (7 projections of which 4 were frozen still.. a scandal!), met a very friendly curator from the Tate Gallery London who gave me excellent career advice and his phone number.
Made plans to return to see all the works I hadn't seen properly on this first visit.
The next day I travelled to Roveretto which has a really foggy bus system, I couldn't find the bus stop, and the town is about the size of an average pillow case.. Anyway in the end I just took whatever bus I could find and it took me to MArt, the new contemporary art gallery, oh my god! What an amazing place. So much art! 3or 4 exhibitions: Eurasia, one of 3 German Painters, an exhibition of their collection and one I forgot. I specifically had singled out Eurasia as the one to locate and find, so I landed on my feet and spent the afternoon seeing some wonderful art.
I nearly fainted from dehydration and negligent food intake (as in none, except for an ice cream that day, which really doesn't constitute food..). So I left in search for nourishment. The MArt's own cafe was a bit too busy for my state ofg mind so I wandered back towards a main square, in wonderful heat and sunshine, had a slice of pizza and of course more ice cream. Spent about an hour trying to locate the correct bus to make my way to the old tobacco factory where Roveretto's main installment of the Manifesta is located.
