Japanese Pavilion, Giardini: Chiharu Shiota's “The Key in the Hand.” The artist creates this large-scale installation using several thousand strings of red yarn tied to keys, symbolizing the safeguard of our memories being stored behind the protection of the key to our true feelings. The two boats beneath the keys are meant to capture the rain of memories. One of my favorites.
Texas gallerist Deborah Colton reports from the 56th Venice Biennale, where she traveled to take in exhibitions and pavilions for a number of the artists in her stable, including Egyptian-born Khaled Hafez and Mahmoud Obaidi, who is from Iraq. The nonagenarian cinematic/video/photo pioneer Jonas Mekas was another Biennale headliner. Scroll through the slide show for a dealer’s-eye view of the platinum standard among international art convergences.