Italian-born, New York-based artist, Rudolf Stingel is currently presenting an installation at the Palazzo Grassi, the opulent Venetian estate of billionaire collector François Pinault. The exhibition is conceived by the artist in partnership with Elena Geuna, and it was specifically designed for the 3-storey, 5000 square meter building located on Venice’s Grand Canal. Stingel’s decision to cover all the walls and floors of the entire Palazzio in carpet is an incredibly brave gesture. At times it appears as though the bold, oversized pattern could be seen as distracting from the paintings, although the result is much more profound than that. The artist has created a completely immersive environment that challenges the distinction between the artwork and it’s setting…

To Switzerland, today, to look at a wonderful (enormous) house on the northern shores of Lake Zürich by Gus Wüstemann Architects. The building comprises two houses – one of concrete, one of wood – at opposite ends of a large suburban plot. The design intent was to occupy the entire site and draw people through the garden by giving them a destination. I like this very much. The garden becomes somewhere to be, rather than something to look at. The residence (concrete) is up high. The pool house (timber) sits below. The former is a sort of glamorous bunker one can live in. The latter an airy rectilinear folly for outdoor braais on those long summer evenings of the northern hemisphere…

Venice Biennale 2013 (La Biennale di Venezia) is the closest thing art has to the Olympics. The 55th International Art Exhibition attempts to capture the rich diversity of the art-world, with all it’s unexpected sights and sounds. Established in 1895, the Venice Biennale is the oldest and most important event on the international contemporary visual arts calendar. It is also the world’s largest non-commercial art exhibition, and this year it features shows from 88 countries across the entire city. More than 150 artists are taking part in the Biennale, and the event attracts approximately 300,000 world-wide visitors – from artists, art-lovers and collectors…

Floating Portuguese Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2013 by Joana Vasconcelos consists of an old Lisbon ferryboat transformed into a work of art.

It’s not often I allow a “press release” do all the talking, but when the architects’ words are this good, you just have to go with it. Although, one would expect the project description provided by the (st)architects like Herzog & de Meuron to be shit hot. After all, they can afford to engage only the top-notchest of people (unlike yours truly, as you can see from exhibit A). Alas, enough of playing silly buggers. Let’s delve into the words of Herzog & de Meuron’s excellent copywriters…