Since 1895, the Venice Biennale, a contemporary art exhibition, has been held in Venice, Italy every two years (with a few breaks). This year Venice is hosting the 53rd Biennale, which includes an international art exhibition, an architecture exhibition and festivals of contemporary music, dance, and theater - as well as the Venice Film Festival. The 53rd International Art Exhibition titled "Making Worlds", opened to the public on June 7, and will remain open until November 22, 2009. Collected here are a few images from the recent vernissage (opening) of the art exhibition and of Venice itself.
1. Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto breaks mirrors during a performance for the creation of his "Twentytwo less two" installation on the second day of vernissage of the 53rd Biennale International Art Exhibition in Venice, Italy, Friday, June 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Alberto Pellaschiar)
2. An aerial view of the Punta della Dogana in Venice on June 02, 2009. French businessman and art collector Francois Pinault will inaugurate a contemporary art exhibition space in the late-17th-century Punta della Dogana, the pointy spit of land at the tip of Dorsoduro that once served as the gateway to the port of Venice. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
3. Journalists take pictures of "The Boy with the frog" by US artist Charles ray in front of the Punta della Dogana in Venice during the opening of Francois Pinault's new museum on June 3, 2009. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
4. Two gondolas sail in front of the Punta della Dogana in Venice on June 2, 2009. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
5. Members of traditional Maori group "Waka Huia" perform in Piazza San Marco, as part of the opening of the New Zealand pavilion at the Venice Biennale June 3, 2009. (REUTERS/Tony Gentile)
6. Guards walk by US artist Richard Price's work "untitled 2007" on show during the opening of the Punta della Dogana in Venice on June 3, 2009. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
7. A woman stands near German artist Thomas Schutte's "Efficiency Men 2005" on show during the opening of the Punta della Dogana in Venice on June 3, 2009. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
8. A detail of "A football match of June 14th, 2002" by Chinses artist Huang Yong Ping is pictured during the opening of the Punta della Dogana in Venice on June 3, 2009. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
9. An installation of the Chilean artist Ivan Navarro titled "Death row" is displayed Venice on June 3, 2009 at the Venice Art Biennale. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
10. A visitor passes in front of an installation at the Hungarian pavilion during the vernissage of the 53rd Biennale International Art Exhibition in Venice June 3, 2009. (REUTERS/Tony Gentile) 12parting
11. A visitor views paintings of gorillas entitled "La Solitude Organisative" (left) and "Flecha Rota" (right) by Spanish artist Miquel Barcelo at the Spanish pavilion during the vernissage of the 53rd Biennale Internazional Art Exhibition in Venice June 5, 2009. (REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)
12. Visitors look at installations by US artist Bruce Nauman on June 4, 2009 at the US pavilion of the Venice Art Biennale. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
13. Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan's work "untitled 2007" (left, on wall), British artist Rachel Whiteread's work "One Hundred Spaces 1995" (center), and "untitled 2007" (right) by US artist Richard Price, displayed during the opening of the Punta della Dogana in Venice on June 3, 2009. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
14. Visitors walk under an installation by Mexican artist Hector Zamora during the Venice Art Biennale on June 4, 2009 at the Arsenale. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
15. Israeli artist Shlomo, is seen in his floating installation on the second day of vernissage of the 53rd Biennale International Art Exhibition in Venice, Italy, Friday, June 5, 2009. In the background is the island of San Giorgio in the Venice lagoon. (AP Photo/Alberto Pellaschiar)
16. Russian artist Andrei Molodkin poses next to his version of the statue of Nike of Samothrace, filled with oil, part of an installation where two similar sculptures, one filled with oil and the other with blood, pumped in by a motor, are projected live on a wall and transformed into a third sculpture, during the vernissage of the 53rd Biennale International Art Exhibition in Venice, Italy, June 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Alberto Pellaschiar)
17. Visitors view an installation by Argentine artist Tomas Saraceno entitled "Galaxies Forming along Filaments, Like Droplets along the Strands of a Spider's Web" at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni at the Giardini during the vernissage of the 53rd Biennale Internazional Art Exhibition in Venice June 5, 2009. (REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi) 07venice 14venice
18. A view of the installation "Composizione non finita - infinita" by Giampaolo Bertozzi and Stefano Dal Monte at the Italian pavilion during the vernissage of the 53rd Biennale International Art Exhibition in Venice, Italy, Thursday, June 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Alberto Pellaschiar)
19. A visitor looks at a work by US artist Mike Kelley "Kandors full set 2005-2009" on show during the opening of the Punta della Dogana in Venice on June 3, 2009. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
20. A woman views a mixed media installation, "Rain theorem", by Russian artist Alexei Kallima on show on June 4, 2009 at the Russian pavilion of the Art Biennale in Venice. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
21. Artist Yoko Ono performs during her installation entitled "Anton's Memory" at the Arsenale during the vernissage of the 53rd Biennale Internazional Art Exhibition in Venice June 6, 2009. Contemporary artist Yoko Ono and U.S. artist John Baldessari will be honored at the 2009 Venice Biennale with a Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement. (REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)
22. Visitors walk inside "Private Garden" by Giacomo Costa at the Italian pavilion during the Art Biennale in Venice, Italy, Thursday, June 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Alberto Pellaschiar)
23. A visitor looks up at Anatoly Shuravlev's "Black Holes" at the Russian pavilion during the vernissage of the Venetioan Art Biennale on Thursday June 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Alberto Pellaschiar)
24. A view of "Guests", an installation by Krzysztof Wodiczko at Poland's pavilion during the vernissage of the Biennale International Art Exhibition in Venice on June 4, 2009, (REUTERS/Tony Gentile) 07venice 14venice
25. As part of the Danish and Nordic Pavilions' exhibition by Elmgreen & Dragset as curators/artists, a "body" floats in a pool outside a home which is being "sold" at the Biennale of Venice on Thursday, June 4, 2009. (Todd Heisler/The New York Times)
26. A visitor views an installation by Chinese artist Huang Yong Ping entitled "Buddha's Hands " at the Arsenale during the vernissage of Venice's 53rd Biennale Art Exhibition on June 5, 2009. (REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)
27. An aerial view of the Piazza San Marco in Venice on June 02, 2009. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)
28. An night view of Piazza San Marco, provided by Global-Newsroom, showing where Billy the Artist is performing at the CreART by Swatch event on June 30, 2009 in Venice, Italy. (Daniel Grund/Global-Newsroom via Getty Images)
29. Buildings in Piazza San Marco are illuminated at the CreART by Swatch event, June 30, 2009 in Venice, Italy. (Daniel Grund/Global-Newsroom via Getty Images)
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