The Gala

Dear, sweet gods, save me from my fellow artists! (No! Don't save me!)

How I do not have the hangover from beyond space and time is a divine miracle of cosmic proportions. How I am even awake is in the same category.

Last night utterly made up for the crappy day.

We had to wait a little while before they let us into the hall, and it wasn't particularly all that dressed up, but who cares? I had found Birgit outside before I went in and we found a table. We lost Josie to others, but Tore and Louise joined us and then a set of Americans, Deanna and her friend whose name I never got, James and Claire from the south of England, Massimo who was the only Italian, and Jose from Mexico. At one point, I was trying to parse an amazing conversation in four different languages: Spanish, Italian, Norwegian and Danish.

There was abundant wine. The food was surprisingly decent and just. kept. coming. Oh my gods, I have never eaten that much food in my life. From the little spinach thing to the mousse thing at the end, with three different wines and champagne at the end and then perfect little cups of caffe...

We talked and talked. They had two opera singers with accompaniment for the dinner entertainment who were divine. Sang the equivalent of the opera standards, but the accoustics of the hall were perfect for it. So imagine, if you will. Gorgeous wine, gorgeous conversation and over it all, arias. Gods.

We talked about Frida Kahlo. We talked American poets and literature and they convinced me that it didn't all suck. We laughed about San Francisco, which is a town we all universally loved. We even talked about the art that we actually hated in the show. That was provocative! And wonderful! I found it interesting that at our table we all universally did not like the uber violent art. We agreed it was technically strong, but we didn't want to look at it. I have hope for the world.

We talked about how the obsession with a popular artist can sometimes overshadow the actual work and get in the way of the art. That an artist can get in the way of their art and an audience if they're not careful.

At the end of the evening, I finally saw Josie, who tried to kidnap me with five other artists to the bar for a good night cup of tea. The gods took pity on me and the place we had agreed to meet was closed and I didn't spot them. Sam, my favorite waiter, waved to me out the door as he was sweeping up. It made my heart lift to realize that across the street, he could recognize me at almost 2 in the morning and stop to wave.

It was the kind of night and conversation that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Oh, and then I got to my hotel and discovered I was locked out, there was an accident on the street and I stood in the cold, drunk, and laughed and laughed. The concierge let me in within like two minutes, but for a minute there, I wondered if I was sleeping in the park in zero degree weather.

I don't know when I fell asleep. I took a shower first, washed my face and hair, and sat up watching bad Italian television.

But I did finally manage to sleep and woke up at a whopping 7 AM.

So, thank you, Biennale. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you, Tore, Louise, Josie, Birgit, Deanna, Claire, James, Massimo, Jose, Michael, Aida, Julie, Toni, and everyone whose name I missed.

Today's the last day of the Biennale. I'm to the Fortezza for the last time. The camera is in the process of doing the last upload I'll be able to manage from the road. There won't be anything new till Wednesday. If I have time after the Biennale, I'm going to do one last wander through the San Lorenzo Mercato, which has become my favorite place here.

The award ceremony is at 3:30 PM. I'm hoping that my friends win medals.

Tomorrow, I leave for home with a camera full of memories and a log book full of entries, presents for my family in my carry on and a checked bag full to bursting.

I'm so glad that this is the way my adventure is ending.

* * *

Check out the last upload from the road, including a few pix of the gala: http://www.flickr.com/photos/angelanhunt

Last Post from Italy

Well. This is it. Tomorrow morning I head back to the airport for the marathon of air travel that will get me home to LA and back to my family.

I am definitely ready to go home.

I did one final pass at the Biennale. Place was fairly packed today, which was gratifying. All my brochures are gone. Almost all of my Moo cards are gone. They were a huge hit and just prove the whole Social Object concept is where it's at. (Go to http://gapingvoid.com if you have no clue what I mean.)

I ended up not staying for the award ceremony, because I wanted one last tromp in Florence, even if it was in the rain.

I went to the San Lorenzo Mercato after all. Moseyed around and tried to soak it all in for one last time.

I don't know if the art will make it back home to me in one piece. The frame to Temptation Refused is pretty much destroyed and only on the wall by sheer will power. From the front, you can't tell that it's wrecked. Don't ask me how I got it to hold together. I don't know how I managed it. The prints themselves should survive, but the frames? Well, thank Crom, there's insurance.

Now that I'm here on the eve of returning home, I feel full in a way that I haven't in a long time.

To everyone who got me here, I know I've said it before, but now here at the end, I have to say it again.

Thank you. From the bottom of my heart.

I don't know how this trip has changed me. Not yet. But I know it has. That would never have been possible without all of your support.

Just thank you.

And keep an eye out for new art. I've got a ton of new ideas for new series...

In the meantime, I'm off to my last dinner in Italy.