The Canadian artists from Reverse Pedagogy weren’t the only ones floating around the Venetian canals in the name of art last week.

Is it a reflection of the returning trend toward urban interventions (thank you VoCA faves Oldenburg and Kaprow) and flashmobs, or a way of modernizing the biennale whose pavilions and divisions along national lines are terribly outdated?

Mike Bouchet’s ‘Watershed’ goes down. Image: bldgblog.blogspot.com

What with the suburban American house (that sank), and the Russian submarine, we wonder what the Italians made of it all.

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The picture is bleak for art bought recently, says the New York Times.

At the four auctions that Christie’s and Sotheby’s held in New York this spring, the return on 32 paintings that had been held for less than four years was a negative 16.8 percent. By contrast, the average return for 55 paintings that had been held for more than four years was 5.4 percent.

“Once again this illustrates the difficulty of being a short-term trader in art, especially when you are buying at the end of a period of excess returns,” Mr. Moses said.

Read the full article from the New York Times, HERE.

He may not have won any of the big Biennale awards, but no matter.

With all the fundraising the Canadians were forced to do, it’s impressive that they put up so much work. Cold Morning, a selection of four new films by the excellent film artist Mark Lewis, is on view at the Canada Pavilion as part of the 53rd Venice Biennale from 7 June to 22 November 2009. Lewis has long been one of VoCA most-admired artists and he certainly deserves to be our rep at Venice.

Mark Lewis, Rear Projection: Molly Parker from 2006. Image: marklewisstudio.com

Mark Lewis’s films for the Canada Pavilion combine documentary footage and dramatic action with his recent interest in the historical technique of rear projection, resulting in works that explore the history of place and the passage of time.

Four autonomous works are presented together:

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Confluences: Rencontre entre Montreal et le Bas-Saint-Laurent
June 14 - 13 September, 2009
Musee Regionale de Rimouski

Should you find yourself in Quebec this summer, this exhibition seeks to bring together a rencontre between Montreal and the lower St. Lawrence. The show looks promising!

Guillaume Lachapelle, Manege 16, 2004-06. Image: guillaumelachapelle.com

Featuring work by 13 artists (who you may not know of) including Magalie Comeau, Sylvie Moisan and Guillaume Lachapelle, whose miniature theatrical installations VoCA loves.

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Going up to Drag Lake, in Haliburton to look at a glass box ‘cottage’ in the middle of the forest. Boat access only!

My profile of the house is coming up in the August issue of Toronto Life magazine…stay tuned

The text I wrote that accompanied architect Paul Raff’s winning submission for the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Allied Arts Medal has been reproduced in Canadian Architect magazine.

A pavilion by Paul Raff Studio. Image: canadianarchitect.com

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Doug Wright’s most famous character, Nipper. Image: calgaryherald.com

The graphic artist Seth has designed and co-edited a gorgeous coffee table book on the erstwhile celebrity cartoonist, whose Nipper comic strip became a huge hit across the country in the 1960s.

This book is a wonderful object and a highly entertaining read, even if you’re not into graphic novels, or comics.

Read my review, in Quill and Quire, HERE.

One of VoCA’s favorite artists, Yoko Ono, speaks with the FT on the eve of being awarded the prestigious
Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement - along with John Baldessari - at this year’s Venice Biennale, which opens this week.

Read the full article HERE.

John and Yoko. Image: mmfa.qc.ca

Her exhibition sounds well worth seeing, if you’re in Venice.

If you’re not, check out Imagine: The Peace Ballad of John & Yoko, on view through June 21 at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Click HERE for the Montreal Museum website.

Click HERE to watch Yoko Ono’s famous Cut Piece from 1965.