Van Gogh Reborn!

Chapter 321:

321

The Final Showdown (26)

Lee In-ho and Kim Ji-woo marveled at the work , which depicted the human body with twisted LED wires.

Oliver Price, an American artist, had made the arteries and veins flicker in red and blue, simulating the circulation of blood.

Lee In-ho observed the three LED wire humans arranged in a triangular formation and suddenly noticed their feet.

They were the only parts covered with skin, but they had different colors.

“They’re all the same person, right?”

“That’s how I see it too.”

Kim Ji-woo agreed without taking her eyes off .

As Lee In-ho guessed, seemed to say that they were indistinguishable inside, even though they looked different on the outside.

But she was more drawn to the posture of .

The running motion was so dynamic that it looked like they were being chased by something.

The three sculptures formed a triangle, making it seem like they were either chasing each other or running away from each other.

“What do you think of their posture?”

“Well, they seem to be running very hard.”

“Right?”

The two pondered for a while and then moved on to the next work.

“It’s nice to be able to see them at leisure.”

“I know, right?”

This Venice Biennale had departed from the usual practice of holding the opening ceremony and the award ceremony together, and had held the award ceremony separately.

The opening ceremony was brief and the visitors were encouraged to focus on the works, while the major events were scheduled for a week later.

“They changed it because of the tendency to view mainly the award-winning works. It’s a good thing.”

“The national pavilions and the Venice Biennale organizing committee have also changed a lot.”

Kim Ji-woo nodded at Lee In-ho’s words.

The reform of the world’s largest biennale, which had adhered to tradition, was proof that the efforts of the artists, the media, and the public had not been in vain.

“Thanks to that, we can enjoy it without any worries. I like it.”

Kim Ji-woo smiled.

Thanks to the support of two one-week tickets from her publisher Bojar, she was able to enjoy the biennale fully.

It was incomparable to her previous days as a painter, when she had to be grateful for just getting the airfare.

With a generous schedule and food and lodging expenses, she felt like her efforts had been recognized.

Lee In-ho felt embarrassed and awkwardly smiled at Kim Ji-woo’s bright expression.

“So, do you want to go to the Giardini side? To see the Villains.”

“Don’t you want to save the fun part for later?”

“Oh. Right. Haha!”

Kim Ji-woo giggled.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to see it properly if we go now. There must be a lot of people, right?”

The Venice Biennale was more interested in the Villains exhibition than the main exhibition, thanks to the participation of Go Soo-yeol, Ko Hun, Jang Mi-rae, and Henri Marso.

She wondered how many visitors there would be.

“That’s true. Then, um, let’s go that way.”

“Isn’t it too hot? My goodness. Look at the sweat. Let’s have a drink and rest a bit. We have plenty of time.”

“Shall we?”

Lee In-ho hurriedly looked for a nearby cafe.

He looked cute with his naive and innocent appearance, as if he had a crush on her.

As Kim Ji-woo expected, the Villains exhibition was crowded from the first day.

“Wow. I don’t think I can film this.”

The YouTuber Alex Wood was flustered by the line that stretched to the main street.

He had received a promotion request from the Münster Sculpture Project and the Venice Biennale, but there were too many people to capture each work.

“Everyone, I’ll come back to the Villains tomorrow. As you can see, it looks like I can’t even get in.”

The viewers of Alex Factory also understood the situation and had no choice.

“This is across from the Spanish Pavilion, right? If you go down that main street, you’ll see Switzerland, Venezuela, Russia, Japan, Korea, Germany. I’d like to see Britain and France too, but I’ll go this way for now.”

Alex Wood wiped his sweat and continued talking.

“Those of you who are coming here, it’s better to decide where you want to see. If you buy a regular ticket, you can only enter the Arsenale and the Giardini once. Ticketing? I didn’t have to wait and I could buy it right away last time, but this time it seems better to buy it online in advance. There are so many people. This is my fourth time at the Venice Biennale, you know? But this is the first time I’ve seen so many people that I can’t see the works.”

Alex Wood was amazed by the crowd that was incomparable to previous years.

└Wouldn’t it be better to buy a 3-day ticket? You can’t see it all in one day anyway.

└How about a one-week ticket?

└Is there a discount?

└What’s the price?

"You need at least three days to see everything. Discount? It’s usually 30 euros, but students and under 16s can get it for 20 euros. A three-day pass is 55 euros. I don’t recommend a week pass unless you’re really into art. The catalog is too expensive. 100 euros, can you believe it? Oh, thank you Glitch for buying me the catalog and donating 50 dollars."1)

Alex Wood, who had visited the pavilions of Switzerland, Venezuela, Russia, and Japan, opened his eyes wide.

“Look at this.”

Ko Hun had drawn to make it easier to find the Korean pavilion, which was located in a secluded place.

A hibiscus with bloodstains on its white petals.

Alex felt a strong resilience that refused to give up despite the wounds.

└It’s beautiful.

└What kind of flower is it?

└There’s a long line here.

└Didn’t the Korean pavilion get shut down? Who’s participating?

└Seo In-ho.

“I’m going to see the Korean pavilion today. I want to see England and France too, but I don’t think I have enough time.”

Alex joined the line and immediately spoke to the man in front of him.

“Hello. I run an art-related channel on YouTube. Can I interview you for a moment?”

“I’m Nick.”

The man with a gentle face recognized Alex and gladly accepted.

“Great. Nick, where are you from?”

“I came from Canada.”

“Canada! You came from far away. What did you see today?”

“I saw a lot. I came in here after seeing the external pavilions, but there are too many people. Haha!”

He meant that he had visited the national pavilions outside the Arsenale and Giardini areas for free, and then bought a ticket to enter.

Alex was interested in the external pavilions, which he hadn’t seen yet.

“How did it feel?”

“I don’t know much, but it felt like traveling the world. Even here, this flower was interesting.”

Nick pointed to .

“It’s a painting by Ko Hun. It’s called hibiscus.”

“Hibiscus?”

“Hibiscus.”

“Hibiscus.”

“You’re getting better. I hope you have a nice trip. Thank you, Nick.”

Alex shook hands with Nick from Canada and turned around. The line had grown quickly.

He spoke to the woman behind him.

“Hello. I’m Alex.”

“I’m Amelia.”

“I’m filming for YouTube. Can I ask you a few questions?”

Amelia shrugged her shoulders.

“Where are you from?”

“Edinburgh.”

“Wow. You came from a very cool place. Are you enjoying your trip?”

“Yes. It’s fun to talk to the guy I only saw on YouTube.”

Alex opened his mouth wide. He couldn’t say anything with joy and just moved his lips. Amelia nodded.

“But why aren’t you happy? I’m very happy!”

“I’m happy too.”

“Do you want me to sign something? Or take a picture?”

“No, thanks.”

“You don’t like me that much, do you? Anyway. What did you see today?”

“I looked around the Arsenale lightly. It was different from before.”

“How so?”

“When I came here 10 years ago, they only dealt with black people. It’s not like there are only black people in the world, you know.”

Alex widened his eyes.

He was worried that Amelia might say something racist.

“But this time, they dealt with various people, whether they were white, black, or Asian. Actually, there are still black people who are discriminated against, and white people who are marginalized. And Asians, don’t even get me started.”

“That’s a nice thing to say.”

“What do you think, Alex?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to make political statements and lose my subscribers.”

Amelia looked a bit disappointed.

“But I think you should have a broad perspective. Ame, you’re a really cool person.”

“Don’t call me that. It sounds like we’re close.”

“Aren’t we close if we talked for about five minutes? I’ve never talked to my dad for five minutes.”

Alex held out his palm and Amelia smiled and high-fived him.

The day was over before I could see all the exhibits (Arsenale).

I was amazed by the artworks that used shining wires to form human bodies, or that combined four people’s faces into one. There were so many interesting and creative artworks that I lost track of time.

“I want a burger.”

Cha Si-hyun lay on the bed and whined about burgers.

Ever since I watched a video of making burgers, he had been saying he wanted to eat one, and I started to crave one too.

I turned my head and asked Blanche, Vida, and Ma Eun-chan for their opinions, and they all seemed to agree.

Burgers after dinner.

It’s good to be young.

“Grandpa, uncle.”

I went to the living room and saw grandpa and Bang Tae-ho drinking beer and watching TV.

“Huh?”

“I’m hungry and I want to order some burgers. Do you want some?”

“Hungry?”

Grandpa nodded and stroked his chin, thinking for a moment.

“What about you?”

“How about some fries as a snack?”

“Hmm. Sure.”

“Uncle, can you order them? Four should be enough, right?”

“Yes. Please leave out the pickle for one.”

“Okay.”

-Today, the joint pavilion of France and Korea at the Venice Biennale opened and became a hot topic.

I was about to turn away when I heard the TV mention the villains.

-Forty thousand people visited the joint pavilion today, making it the most popular attraction at the Venice Biennale.

“There sure are a lot of people.”

“I’m glad it started well.”

I tried to go there once in the middle, but there were so many people that I couldn’t even get in.

The organizing committee also asked the artists to refrain from visiting the pavilion themselves, as the crowd could cause safety or viewing problems.

-An art historian, Caroline Strick, who visited the joint pavilion, praised Henri Marso and Ko Hun for leading the art world.

“Hehe. She always says nice things about our Hoonie.”

“Right?”

Not that I hate compliments, but sometimes they make me feel awkward.

I wonder what kind of work Henri has done.

He hasn’t contacted me since the Munster Awards, and I don’t know how to make up with him.

I didn’t know it was so hard to restore a relationship after a fight, since I always drifted away from anyone I fought with.

Should I go to the villains’ pavilion tomorrow?

He hates crowded places, but maybe I’ll see him there.

I should at least show him my face.

1)As of 2019, the regular ticket price is 25 euros. For seniors over 65, it is 20 euros. For students or those under 26, it is 16 euros. A three-day pass is 48 euros. The catalog is 85 euros.