There is this saying in French
To leave everything to go live in Venice. I relate.
It all began in Venice…
The first time I arrived in Venice was in 2021. I was still in the midst of my BA degree in Cologne, didn't speak Italian yet, and I got this job offer at a prestigious art institution (iykyk). A new chapter started for me, and ever since, I spend my summers in Venice, surrounded by art… and I make sure to make it everybody’s business.
Why are we here
Venice is one of those cities where you can wander aimlessly and encounter three museums, two galleries, and six temporary exhibition spaces on your way (which is most often a five minutes radius). I love going to all those spaces, but sometimes, I am just drained by the sheer amount of text on the walls, its smart-sounding but empty language, and the lacking connection to what I ACTUALLY see exhibited. I believe that making you feel less or dumb is a sign of bad curatorial work, not good one. So my intention for this substack is to share exhibitions with you - the good, the bad, and the ugly - but in a way that is understandable. This is not about sounding smart, this is about thinking about art in ways that are actually thought-provoking, fun, and engaging.
New substack, who dis?
As I am just starting out, I am getting a lot into my head and it feels like shouting into a void. I love talking about art, but I will always approach it with a sense of humor and lightheartedness. I invite you to come with me on this journey for finding the right tone for the thoughts I want to share with you.
Let’s talk expectations
So far, I cannot really tell how often I will post. I am aiming at sharing my experiences about 2-3 times a month. With time, we will bring clarity and stucture into the pace of my content. It’s still very experimental - avantgarde, if you will - so I will keep this page free (we can look into subscriptions if this substack survives the first couple of months). I plan on sharing exhibition reviews in Venice and Cologne, book recommendations, and short thoughts on current events in the art world. Nevertheless, I will focus on exhibition reviews first and foremost.
If you’re subscribing to this substack, let’s see where this will go!
So finally, I’d like to thank you for sticking around, reading that chunk of text, and subscribing to my substack. See you soon!
Jennifer