VENICE, Italy — By the light of the setting sun, a skateboarder practices tricks on the edge of a seaside jetty. Heavy waves roll in and break against the shore in a constant motion in the background. The skateboarder keeps to a narrow radius and his movements are rhythmic and supple. The board appears to be an extension of his body — senses, mind and action welded into an indivisible unit.
This unassuming video by Australian artist Shaun Gladwell captures the spirit of the current Venice Biennale, whose title — "Think with the senses, feel with the mind" — exhorts attendees to let the senses and intellect enrich each other. In the two sections curated by the biennale's director, Robert Storr, individual works of art form a web in which different themes and media co-operate or contrast with each other in a fruitful way. Aesthetics play a prominent part, distinguishing the current biennale from the previous one, as well as similar events held in recent years.
At the 2005 Venice Biennale, much-feted curator Hans-Ulrich Obrist created the controversial "Utopian Station," the architecture of which was reminiscent of a shantytown. There, films, archive materials, social projects and various performance acts put a sharp focus on the processes of art-making, rendering the exhibition of more interest to those taking part than to the visiting public.