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| Traghetto Canal Grande - Venezia, 2022 by Nikos Aliagas - Photo: Cat Bauer |
(Venice, Italy) I am happy that the insightful and delightful Nikos Aliagas photography exhibition at Fondazione dell'Albero d'Oro in Palazzo Vendramin Grimani that was set to close on April 2 has been extended to November 26, 2023. The ancient palace was recently restored and is full of promise.
Palazzo Vendramin Grimani is located on the Grand Canal right off Campo San Polo, which is my old 'hood, and many of the local images captured by Nikos's lens are faces and places familiar to me. I found his attitude refreshing:
Palazzo Vendramin Grimani is located on the Grand Canal right off Campo San Polo, which is my old 'hood, and many of the local images captured by Nikos's lens are faces and places familiar to me. I found his attitude refreshing:
"...Being here is an honor and a responsibility, too...
...You feel small when you first arrive in Venice...
...Everyone wants their share of Venice..."
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| Nikos Aliagas in Venice - Photo: Cat Bauer |
Nikos Aliagas is a well-known Greek-French journalist and entertainer who hosted "Star Academy," the French version of "America's Got Talent," featuring guest stars like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Madonna, etc. So I was surprised to discover that he was one of the few people on this planet who had never been to Venice before, even though he's in his 50s and based in Paris -- you'd think he would have stopped by a bit sooner.
"I had never been to Venice before the summer of 2022, and I had a strange apprehension, a fear of arriving after the party, of wearing the mask of the intruder who sneaks into a setting where tourists and onlookers are swarming, eager for souvenirs and selfies."
Fondazione dell'Albero d'Oro itself is new, born in 2019 with the aim of bringing the ancient Palazzo Vendramin Grimani back to life as a "cultural salon with an international outlook, a crossroads of exchange and creativity."
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| Dans le vent - Venezia, 2022 by Nikos Aliagas - Photo: Cat Bauer |
I was puzzled when I first saw the photos -- before speaking to Nikos. To my jaded eyes, they were the same old images that could have been taken 30 years ago -- laundry in the calli, people crossing the Grand Canal in a traghetto -- yet there was something both innocent and wise about them.
I slowly realized that these vibrant images that Nikos had captured were of the singular life that still exists in Venice. That the Venice mystique that had captivated me a quarter of a century ago still thrives in the lagoon for those who have eyes to see it.
"Images and mirages, and always this impression of being observed from behind the shutters; the show seems to come from within, intimate and mysterious, from the apartments of the high-ceilinged palazzi, with their sculpted beams and crack-varnish paintings. I can sense silhouettes from another time that peer out over the Grand Canal. I lose myself like a pilgrim in the alleyways that all resemble each other, only to find myself in their field of vision behind the lens."
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| Les mains de l'artisane Gabriele Gmeiner, Campiello del Sol, San Polo Venezia, 2022 by Nikos Aliagas Photo: Cat Bauer |
I slowly realized that these vibrant images that Nikos had captured were of the singular life that still exists in Venice. That the Venice mystique that had captivated me a quarter of a century ago still thrives in the lagoon for those who have eyes to see it.
"What do you think, that we are waiting for you? Nobody is waiting for you here. The place is so much more powerful than you. You can only try to melt into its universe."Nikos Aliagas "Regards Vénitiens"is at Palazzo Vendramin Grimani until November 26, 2023. Go to Fondazione dell'Albero d'Oro for more information.
Ciao from Venezia,
Cat Bauer
