Burn Shine Fly…Ugo Rondinone Soars!

We love Venice.

We know that many people don't, and that is just fine...but we love Venice. It's become a must do side trip every time we are here in Italy. We feel so at home here.

This time we spent four nights. We were in Venice last April for the Biennale, but we missed a few shows, so we wanted to return to see what we missed. I'm so glad we did!

The weather was great...maybe a touch warm for me, but so nice for sitting out in the evenings. 

The requisite hotel elevator 
Mirror Shot!

 

The weather was fantastic...except for one night of lightning, thunder and torrential rain.
Yes, we got really wet!

What's not to love?

A scene near where we love to stay.
Off the beaten path...

I'm concentrating on one show in this post. 

We missed it back in April, and we had one day to see it before it closed. I planned the trip around this show...

I think I'll just say this...It was so worth the wait. 

As we approached the venue, we were greeted with this massive golden structure...

Golden branches creating a perfect circle...

Seeing this huge piece in the courtyard of the church we would then enter, I already had goosebumps...

Ugo Rondinone is an amazing artist that we've enjoyed viewing in various venues here for years. I really looked forward to seeing this show!

The venue was the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista. Whew. An amazing space in it's own right, this exhibition really made it special.

Just looking in from outside took my breath away.

I'm just going to let you cruise through these photos. There really isn't much I can say.

It was an amazing experience, well worth coming back to Venice for. 

Damn. It was so good.

Why did I like it so much? The scale of it...these life sized figures floating in this particular space...painted like a cloudy sky...I mean, come on! It was right in my wheel house.

The modern sculptures with the old sculptures and the paintings...I just was so taken in. I think I had a smile on my face the entire time we were there, and then for hours afterwards.

The thing I can never get over is this: How does one one come up with the concept?

I'm just so grateful to have been able to see this work in person.

This...this is why we come here.