We had dinner last night with a printmaker, Livio Ceschin, whose etchings will be exhibited at the Radford University Art Museum in the fall. He and his gallerist -- the woman who owns the gallery that represents his work in Venice -- are very humorous, and the more animated they got, the faster they talked, and my comprehension slipped from about 30 percent to 5 percent as the evening wore on. Marjorie did much better. But then, she speaks Italian.

Much of the discussion centered on the politics and intrigues of the Biennale and the Venetian art scene. Local artists feel slighted that they don’t get the press attention that the “international” artists get, and they’ve done something about it. A former glass factory on the island of Murano has been turned into an art gallery, and hundreds of local artists contributed works to a “Counter-Biennale.” The only limitation was size – each work had to be 13 x 17 centimeters -- and this gave the title for the exhibition: “13 x17.” “Agitatevi!” their poster says – loosely translated, “Do Something!” or “Charge Ahead!”

During dinner, we saw something of the barter economy that sustains many small businesses in Venice. Throughout the meal, people came in to give something to the owner/chef, including flowers from the local florist, and pastries for her morning’s breakfast from a nearby bakery. We suspected she gave them a complimentary “ombra” in return. (“Ombra” is “shadow” in Italian, but in Venice it refers to a glass of wine taken after work in the late afternoon. It is said to derive from the fact that in pre-refrigeration days, the wine sellers in Piazza San Marco moved their wares during the day to stay in the cooling shadow of the bell tower.) Something of the same spirit of shared community animated the local artists and their “Agitatevi!”

Still, this crazy old contemporary art scene just keeps on spinnin'. Consider Ausrtalian artist Shaun Gladwell's "Storm Sequence," as seen in this short video clip: MP4 | Quicktime

We leave Venice tomorrow. It has been a great experience to report on the Biennale, and we hope you have enjoyed our dispatches. Our thanks to Joe Scartelli, Melissa Elliot and Wil Stanton at Radford University, to Jim Ellison and Mike Gangloff at The Roanoke Times, and the Fondazione La Biennale for making it all happen.

So, from Marjorie and Preston, it’s Ciao, Venezia until 2009!

Intro | The city | Opening day | Theme park | Strong statements | Art tourists | Contra art