The Art Newspaper

And the best dressed gondolier is…

By The Art Newspaper. From In The Frame
Published online: 03 June 2011

View from the rear

There are many fine views to be had in Venice, not least from the summit of the Starn brothers’ vertiginous Big Bambú, which looms over the Peggy Guggenheim Collection on the Grand Canal (until 15 June). For those intrepid enough to scale its giddy heights, the sculpture provides a decidedly “Jungle Book” slant to the city's skyline. However, by far the best vantage point during the Biennale’s opening week has been from the passenger seat of the nifty gondola-shaped trolley cart that Austrian collective Gelitin has been using to ferry visitors to their picnic-cum-pavilion in the Giardini delle Vergini. Not only did this somewhat unorthodox form of transport to the outer reaches of the Arsenale provide welcome relief for the footsore art lover, but the fact that the contraption was being pulled by a comely and completely naked young man meant that the fortunate few to be treated to this most personal of services had an experience that was easy on the eye as well as the feet. Not for nothing has Gelitin’s contribution been christened Some Like it Hot. For more Venice news, see our special section and sign up for our bulletin with live reporting.