I Am Gustav von Aschenbach - Epilogue

The "I Am Gustav von Aschenbach" project in Venice has ended. The artist, the bear and the curator have returned home.  The experience was thrilling and rewarding, it involved a lot of work but also a lot of fun. The Carnival was a colorful madness, the public has been open and perceptive, Venice was cold but beautiful.

I can openly say that the project was a success on many levels: the Romanian Cultural Institute in Venice gained exposure and a "lively" experience through the project, Delia, the artist, got a lot of video material, interviews and experience as a performer and as a bear, the curator learned a lot about curating and also a bit of Italian. The biggest challenge was the adaptation to the space of the gallery, the solution being one that functioned very well aesthetically and functionally: we taped photocopies of Delia's works and sketches on the walls, had the books that inspire her displayed and easy to look at, created a "studio" environment where she could work, think, interview people, rest. The monitor in the window did draw people's attention, and did draw them in.