Rudolf Stingel's Palazzo Grassi 2013: Carpeted Temple of Mortality

Rudolf Stingel's solo exhibition at Palazzo Grassi, opened just before the 2013 Venice Biennale, transforms the entire 2,500 m² interior—from floor to ceiling—with a single Azerbaijani carpet motif. The carpet, specially woven for the show, covers floors and walls, creating a unified environment that references Venetian gold and Central Asian weaving. Stingel intersperses abstract and figurative paintings, including a large self-portrait in the style of Gerhard Richter and works inspired by Christian statuary. Themes of mortality pervade the exhibition, with a portrait of recently deceased friend Franz West and a chilling 'Triumph' painting of a skeleton riding a lion. The carpet, which Stingel has used since 1991, here serves as a metaphor for passage and ephemerality, its worn pattern accumulating visitor footprints. The installation evokes the historical link between Venice and the Orient, as well as the Mitteleuropean melancholic tradition of Sigmund Freud. The exhibition is titled 'Palazzo Grassi 2013' and runs until December 31, 2013. Concurrently, François Pinault has acquired a third venue in Venice, the Teatrino, opening May 30 with videos by Anri Sala, Philippe Parreno, and Loris Gréaud.