100 sexless Artists – Would You believe Italians to be as Puritan as Americans?

It’s a pity for the English language readers that Gotz Primke of Le Gourmand writes in German only: He really offers good content and inspired me for this topic:

Charlier's penis of Christo, which comes with clue "Wraps in very special things".

Belgian artist Jacques Charlier has put together a veritable gallery of portraits based on conceptual analysis and personal interpretation of the “artistic attributes” of major representatives of modern and contemporary art, thus enabling, among other things, a humorous and satirical re-reading of recent art history. He had submitted 100 posters “100 sexes d’artistes” containing 100 more or less sexually tainted parodies of those 100 Artists for the 2009 Venice Biennial. His idea was to offer a clue and let the public guess who he was referring to. This photo points to Christo who wraps everything. However, both the curators and the mayor of Venice refused the posters as they feared the artists involved would be offended. Jacques interviewed all artists but one. They all reported to feel no offense.

Jacques protests with a site against this censorship and with an official vernissage (or is it venissage in this case?). See the above video.

The Brussels Museum of Modern Art backs his protest with an exhibition until September 13, 2009.

Now I wouldn’t have thought Italians to be as puritan as Americans. Would You?

This brings back memories of another protest at a Venice Biennial the one of 2005:

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That of the Guerilla Girls against the “male chauvinist pigs” still ruling the Venice Biennial…L’Histoire se repete… Lol: yesterday it was 500 years ago that John Calvin was born…a sign of Calvinism in Venice maybe?

10 Questions For (31): Gesa Noormann of Escapio

Happy to present Gesa Noormann of Escapio

Gesa-Noormann
1) Who Are you?
My name is Gesa Noormann. I am doing PR for Escapio, a booking platform for exclusive, handpicked hotels. I especially love testing out and reporting on our gorgeous hotels in the Escapio Blog. I live in the middle of Berlin with my twin daughters and two rabbits. Aside from travelling, I love cooking and having friends over to share food and drinks

2) What do you like about what you do?
It may sound a little kitschy, but I have always dreamt of landing a job like I have at Escapio. It combines my passions for travel, great hotels and writing. The internet offers so many possibilities to communicate with people and to develop new marketing ideas that I really feel I’m doing exciting and new things every day.

3) What don’t you like about what you do?
Sometimes I miss meeting people personally instead of having virtual contacts on the internet.

4) Please tell us all about your site / blog and your aims with it.
Escapio is a booking website with a selection of handpicked hotels. Our concept is that customers can choose their hotel by lifestyle criteria like romantic or design hotels rather than just by destination or price. In times of bargain deals we want to give our customers the security of enjoying a special stay in an excellent hotel. Our blog is a complement to the website, for our customers to share our experiences with hotels, locations and lifestyle.

5) Your top 3 destination experiences you’ve ever stayed to date and why?
Egypt: so many things to see, such a rich cultural heritage, the Nile in the middle of the desert… just great!

Provence/Côte d’Azur: beautiful landscape, great food, my favorite language, fabulous shopping opportunities.

Venice: The City of my heart, a mix of beauty, decadence and melancholia.

La-Posta-Vecchia
La-Posta-Vecchia

6) Your top 3 accommodations you’ve ever stayed to date and why?
La Posta Vecchia, Rome. The perfect hideaway for lovers (ex-villa of Paul Getty and his lover). You actually sleep in the bed of Katharina de Medici, enjoy great food and eternal beauty near the city. Great restaurant with one Michelin star

The Hotel Al Moudira Louxor. The Lebanese owner brought all the antiquities and style from her villa in Cairo to this new built hotel in the middle of the desert. This hotel near King’s valley is a real oriental dream.

The Hollmann Beletage in Vienna: A very special and unique place in the historic center of Vienna. Actor Robert Hollmann realized with this hotel his personal idea of feeling at home – only better.

7) Your top 3 most memorable food / wine experiences to date and why?
Restaurant Hugo’s in the Intercontinental Hotel Berlin: Thomas Kammeier got his Michelin star for a good reason. He serves excellent, honest food with regional influences (his interpretation of the “currywurst” is unforgettable). Great panoramic view of Berlin.

Restaurant Le Castelleras near Fayence, France: This attractive stone villa is perched on a hillside and overlooks Fayence and the valley. A hidden and splendid location to enjoy refined Provençal-style cuisine. Great home-made ice cream with olive oil from the olive plantation behind the villa.

Harry’s Dolci in Venice with a great view on the Canale Grande. The food is fantastic and the other reason why I will never forget this experience is that my boyfriend and I, freshly in love, were not allowed to kiss. The manager’s severe call “Not in my restaurant” has become kind of an idiom between us since then.

8) Your top 3 worst destination/ accommodation /food experiences to date and why?
Unfortunately, I have canceled the names of these places out of my memory, so I cannot warn you

A hotel in downtown New York City, a so called in-place for artists. Perhaps I am not bohemian enough to live cockroaches in my bed as an interesting experience.

A hotel in Etropole/Bulgaria (best place in town!): My boyfriend is still getting spots on his face when he remembers the 50-years-of-socialism-carpet, 40 degrees in the room and no curtains…The wedding of my ex au pair was great, however, and for 19 euros per night you cannot really complain either.

9) Can you offer the readers 3 destination/ food / accommodation / things to do tips about the city you are currently living in?
Well, just have a look on Escapio’s Berlin hotels. I would send my most stylish friends to the Hotel Q in West Berlin. It is really fashionable and cool with guests like Angelina Jolie and Amy Whinehouse. Prices are really affordable, and the bar is a great chill out place.
The Ellington Hotel is great, too. Or for party people, I would choose the Arcotel Velvet in Berlin Mitte. If you want more luxury and are post materialist-design lover, please do not miss The Mandala at Potsdamer Platz, it is just gorgeous!

For people who like to spend money on food, I would suggest the Hugo’s (mentioned above), the Margaux at Unter den Linden or the Horvath in Kreuzberg. For a lower budget, a great rustic Italian is the Café Aroma in Kreuzberg or the Vietnamese Si An http://www.expedia.de/vc/reisefuehrer/restaurant-si-an-berlin-27737) in Prenzlauer Berg.

Hollmann-Beletage-Vienna
Hollmann-Beletage-Vienna

10) Any Question(s) you’d expected me to ask that you would like to answer?
Perhaps why people should choose Escapio? Because we believe in our choice of hotels (one of the best in the Mediterranean) and have a great, enthusiastic team that loves to help our customers book their dream hotel.

My Take

Thank you Gesa! In Berlin you mention places I certainly will check out at a future occasion and your mention of Hollmann Beletage will surely make me try out that one once over my current Vienna favorites. Big question: When will Escapio follow up my suggestions for Dutch additions to its site?

3 Reasons why you should visit Henley Royal Regatta once in your Lifetime

2008-Henley-Royal-Regatta-P1000218

Today is the start of the Henley Royal Regatta. If you have a chance you should visit it. Here are three reasons:

The first Reason:
Even if you are not a rowing type you should, once in your lifetime, visit the Henley Royal Regatta. It’s a real happening!

Last year I had the honor of attending this event on invitation. The invitation included access to all enclosures. Years earlier we had disappointed our friends enormously by arriving one day late for an earlier invitation, caused by too much last minute business. Only last year I understood that arriving one day late years earlier had been a very grave error on our side. It could have cost us our friendship. Off course this second invitation was extended very hesitantly and very early this time.

In the UK and world race rowing world Henley Royal Regatta is comparable with events as last week’s Royal Ascot in Horse racing or in tennis sitting in Centre Court during “Wimbledon” with strawberries, whipped cream, hats and all. It’s all about seeing and being seen.

The funny thing is you can watch every upper class Brit who once attended a boarding school or a university of some standing and had something to do with rowing walking around in his rowing club jacket. In itself the variety of all those colors and all those hats of the ladies are a spectacle in itself. My host in particular was very proud to walk around in a jacket that dated back to 1929 that a good relation had donated him shortly before. I was really amazed to see him so proud as a peacock walking around with this piece that belongs in a museum.

Henley Royal Regatta has a long history. You see race rowing here as it has been done for ages: Two crews competing against each other side by side. In modern race rowing you can hardly see what happens, because the courses are so wide as to accommodate 6 to 8 boats side by side. Here you can see it happening right under your nose. Even opposite the finish you can walk around freely. In addition to the races there is a real ongoing defilé of all sorts of little boats and punters.

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The Second reason:
I have seldom seen a more idyllic scenery as in this part of the Thames Valley. The Thames is really narrow and shallow on this stretch and flows between idyllic hills. The stewards actually own large stretches of land including Temple Island, where the races start, just to keep it as it is. To keep the property developers away and to ensure that the main part of the race course is accessable by the public.

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The Third Reason:
You can attend it for free! You can pack your lunch packet and take some Pims, wine and/or beer with you and travel off. Although you may not be able to visit all enclosures that ask hefty fees or won’t admit you because you are not a member. There is plenty of public space around the race course that you can walk and have a picnic on. Only cars pay admittance fees for the car parks. You can see everybody picnicking in the car parks.

Even if you don’t like rowing and water at all you should take some picnic outfit and a cloth to sit on and marvel at the Aston Martins, the Jaguars, the Bentleys, and what not all unload their fully dressed owners, setting up their little pagode tents and spread out a full lunch under it.

Cheers!

Cheers!