Vita Zaman Visits Venice. Part II

I stayed behind in rainy Venice to see the most talked about pavilion. Lithuania, of course (shared with Cyprus)! I say Olympic gold once more. The project is commissioned by Aurimė Aleksandravičiūtė and Jonas Žakaitis ( ex-Tulips and Roses gallery, currently Federal magazine)

Exhibition as a grand detail belonging to a whole that opens up as a detail within a detail. oO becomes Oo and o0. It takes place in a building that has its own rhythm, character, and schedule: the favourite venue for physical exercise in Venice. It will witness a simultaneous co-habitation of art and sports for the entire summer. It can only be matched by the exercise of cosmopolitanism by the two respective countries.

Lithuanians and Cypriots take over a huge stadium and activate it with sculpture, performances, spaces for rest and communication – it is a collaborative project that involves more than 20 artists: Liudvikas Buklys, Gintaras Didžiapetris, Jason Dodge, Lia Haraki, Maria Hassabi, Phanos Kyriacou, Myriam Lefkowitz, Gabriel Lester, Elena Narbutaitė, Morten Norbye Halvorsen, Algirdas Šeškus, Dexter Sinister, Constantinos Taliotis, Kazys Varnelis, Natalie Yiaxi, Vytautė Žilinskaitė.

The Lithuanian maverick, Raimundas Malasauskas is a curator, writer, and now a key artist.

We exchange some profound sentences in our tribal language. VZ: “Tu gerai atrodai!” , RM: “Tu irgi puikiai!”

Lithuanians are good at two things: basketball and contemporary art.

<a href="http://www.gabriellester.com/">Gabriel Lester </a> is an honorary Lithuanian and he installed the unique museum walls in the basketball arena as if they were players of the competing teams. I agree: the Venice Biennale has a lot in common with the Olympic Games. Gabriel lets me wear his baseball hat and I feel like a true groupie.

Gabriel Lester is an honorary Lithuanian and he installed the unique museum walls in the basketball arena as if they were players of the competing teams. I agree: the Venice Biennale has a lot in common with the Olympic Games. Gabriel lets me wear his baseball hat and I feel like a true groupie.

All this sport-themed art makes me hungry. We meet with Tamara Corm from <a href="http://www.pacegallery.com/london">Pace Gallery</a>, Lebanese architect and visionary <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/adibdada">Adib Dada</a>, Aliah Fattouh from <a href="http://www.lombard-freid.com/home.htm">Lombard Freid Gallery</a> in New York, and owner of <a href="http://www.galleryexit.com/">Gallery Exit</a> Aenon Loo from Hong Kong.

All this sport-themed art makes me hungry. We meet with Tamara Corm from Pace Gallery, Lebanese architect and visionary Adib Dada, Aliah Fattouh from Lombard Freid Gallery in New York, and owner of Gallery Exit Aenon Loo from Hong Kong.

After the delightful lunch we indulge in other aspects of the flesh and admire a great show by Edouard Manet. Jupiter and Antiope, 1856 (oil on canvas).

On our way to see the pavilions we bump into some smiley happy people.

<a href="http://www.absolutartbureau.com/about-us">Vadim Grigorian</a> from Paris, who is already smiling about the thought of visiting Vienna in October.

Vadim Grigorian from Paris, who is already smiling about the thought of visiting Vienna in October.

The most beautiful Berlin art couple: Tobias Wagner from <a href="http://www.nordenhake.com/">Nordenhake</a> and<br /> Margherita Belaief from <a href="http://www.peresprojects.com/">Peres Projects</a>

The most beautiful Berlin art couple: Tobias Wagner from Nordenhake and
Margherita Belaief from Peres Projects

Austrian collectors <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OjHnJCRFss">Gertraud and Dieter Bogner</a>

Austrian collectors Gertraud and Dieter Bogner

Fabulosity incorporated – notorious genius James Brett of <a href="http://www.museumofeverything.com/">Museum of Everything</a>.

Fabulosity incorporated – notorious genius James Brett of Museum of Everything.

I buy the t-shirt and wonder in this Alice in the Wonderland space

We join the Museum of Everything, the self-taught revolutionaries who make art for themselves, not for the markets, the museums, or the masses – or just pop over, sunbathe on the grass, and seduce international lovers at The Cafe of Everything, the only fully-functional bar and eaterie anywhere close to the Giardini.

Back to serious art business – Pavilion of Palestine “Otherwise occupied“, works by Bashir Makhoul and Alissa Deebi, curated by Bruce Ferguson and Rawan Sharaf.