Monthly Archives: November 2019

"History has failed us, but no matter," reads the incipit to Min Jin Lee's Pachinko, a novel about the lives of four generations of Korean people, from Japanese-controlled Korea in the early 20th century to the 1980s Japanese economic boom. … Continue reading →

In one photograph included in Shakuntala Kulkarni's "Of Bodies, Armour and Cages" installation at the 58th International Art Exhibition, in Venice (until 24th November), the artist is portrayed standing with a sculptural pose on a sort of plinth, looking like … Continue reading →

Quite often we give for granted the objects we engage the most with in our daily lives and we forget about the symbolism that may be hiding behind them. Think about shoes, for example: travel around the world, ask people … Continue reading →

There are artworks and installations at the 58th International Art Exhibition (until 24th November) in Venice that somehow seem to have a link with the current situation of emergency in the city, that in the last few days had to … Continue reading →

What do the leather barnacle-like elements climbing on the fabric covered columns and spreading through Zahrah Al-Ghamdi's installation "After Illusion" stand for? Are they living organisms reminiscent of sea urchins or maybe eggs left behind by an alien parasite? These … Continue reading →

On Tuesday night Venice was hit by heavy rain, followed by a flood. The acqua alta (high water) reached 1.87 metres, the highest level since 1966, and there was more rain in the following days (St Mark's Square was closed … Continue reading →

Over a decade ago when the first fashion bloggers arrived on the scene, the main players in the fashion industry didn't immediately grasp their potential. Things developed quickly, though, and soon from the street and the backstage, bloggers infiltrated the … Continue reading →

Coffee paper bags and dog food bags, tins, cowrie shells, discarded toys, cutlery and beads. Most of us do not certainly file such objects under the "art" category. Yet such everyday materials become as precious as the finest marble in … Continue reading →

What makes a gallery or museum successful? Definitely a wide range of factors, from the nature of the work of art (be it a costume, a statue, a painting or smaller objects like vases or jewellery) to the display supports … Continue reading →

They say that when Pablo Picasso visited the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan and saw Francesco Hayez's "The Kiss" (1859), he reached out and tried to touch the pale blue dress of the woman in the painting. He wanted indeed … Continue reading →