Palazzo Grassi (Rudolf Stingel)

     At The Palazzo Grassi this year in conjunction with La biennale di Venezia, only one artist is featured throughout the Palazzo, all five thousand square meters devoted to renowned artist Rudolf Stingel. Rudolf is an Italian painter known for pushing the bounds of painting and how one paints. He was born in Merano (1956) where he splits his time and work between there and a home in New York. For one to understand his work presented here I must first elaborate on the building itself. Upon entering the palazzo you realize just how large the building really is, all three stories can be seen from the ground level like square discs encircling the inside of the building and held up by massive marble pillars. It is from this space that Stingel begins his dialog with the viewer.
     Stingel is known for his elaborate presentations of his work and here at the Palazzo this is no exception. Save the pillars, staircase and central ceiling the entirety of the building is covered in Oriental rug like carpet; accentuating and complementing his mostly black, white and silver paintings. As you pass through the labyrinth of rooms and hall ways covered in this carpet you can’t help but to imagine yourself passing deeper and deeper into some abstract construct; whatever that may be. Texture seemed to be an important almost ruling law connecting his work and especially the many paintings throughout the Palazzo; even though many of his works of art were very realistic and other completely abstract. Because of this the same mood was felt throughout the show, one work seamlessly giving way to the other.