If you thought London’s art district (better known as Cork Street, Mayfair) felt a little barren in the middle of last month, you were on to something. Everyone, their PA and their PA’s trio of Courtauld interns had shlepped to Venice and hunkered down in a super-yacht, the Cipriani hotel or the floor of an Airbnb with five other gallery girls (depending on one’s level of seniority/parentage). Yes, it was the lavish pre-opening of the 60th Biennale Arte — the world’s longest-running, most extravagant contemporary art festival — and the creative great and good descended with an unquenchable thirst for art and Aperol alike. Best believe all itches were scratched.
Where did the Brits congregate? Around our own pavilion, of course. Great Britain was one of 85 nations that took part (much anticipated as it comes only every other year), where countries host independent exhibitions on an overarching theme (this year, ‘Foreigners Everywhere’). Sir John Akomfrah was commissioned to represent the UK , and dug in to colonisation and globalisation with his impressive show, Listening All Night to the Rain. On Wednesday night, there was a British bash to celebrate the opening and on Thursday the only words on anyone’s lips were Burberry, the pavilion’s headline sponsor.
During a live TalkArt podcast recording in the serene St Regis hotel hosted by Russell Tovey and Robert Diament, it was evident the night before had been proper romp. How was Akomfrah feeling? ‘Shaky,’ he said. As for curator Tarini Malik, well there were moments she could only cough, splutter and sincerely apologise for her croaky throat. Goes without saying, then, the British spirit was alive and well!
Next stop was Harry’s Bar, the storied 1931-opened haunt that has played host to legends Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock and Truman Capote, not to mention having a shout-out (‘the English bar’) in Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, for the official Burberry afterparty that night. The perfect spot, indeed, for Brits abroad to start spilling Bollinger from their coupes.
Outside, a queue of smartly dressed punters were fighting for a blue knight on horseback logo stamp, and inside tuna tartare, artichokes and greasy, delicious ham-and-cheese toasties were eagerly passed around. Those who made it in the building were faced with London’s art honchos — Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A; curator Victoria Broackes; and Victoria Siddall, the board director of Frieze, all present. Plus, Bianca Brandolini d’Adda, the model and Italian aristo; bright young things Sydney Lima, Rhea Dillon and Isaac Benigson; and, of course, Burberry’s creative director, Daniel Lee, were all along for the ride.
‘I’ve just flown in from Coachella,’ DJ Honey Dijon told me from her friend’s lap. At 4am the night before, she was providing the party at the Rick Owens rave in honour of his wife, Michèle Lamy’s, 80th birthday. Hundreds of club kids fought for a spot on the shuttle boats to the airstrip in Lido, where the party was held — elbows were sharp, their Perspex platform-heeled Owens boots were sharper. ‘I only play techno for an extra fee,’ Dijon said of the set. ‘Now I am just dreaming of getting into a crypto chamber when I am back in London.’ Alex Eagle, founder of eponymous fashion and lifestyle brand, then swooped in to introduce herself.
Upstairs, Tovey and Diament chatted with Justine Simons, deputy mayor for culture and creative industries at City Hall, not before I got a wrist slap for her entry in the Evening Standard’s best-dressed list this year. ‘You called me the best dressed in City Hall,’ she said. ‘That bar is pretty low.’ No hard feelings, naturally. Tovey and Diament then took a moment to muse over Akomfrah’s contribution. ‘He completely transformed the GB Pavilion into what feels like an entirely new space,’ they said. ‘Entering from the basement level and being surrounded by video screens and intense audio, this show really feels like the culmination of 40 years of art making.’
As for the bash: ‘We’re so proud to celebrate John and his art at the Burberry afterparty; he is without doubt one of our biggest art heroes.’ Here’s to the heroes. Now, does anyone have an in for the after after party on the five-decker boat?
