ABOVE: Some of the iconic work of Barbara Kruger, who was honored with a Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement at the 2005 Venice Biennale. Commentators are noting the strong showing of female artists at Venice this year.

The Venice Biennale opened officially yesterday, curated for the first time in its 110-year history by two women. Maria de Corral and Rosa Martinez of Spain are the historic duo, and have made some historic choices, exhibiting the work of the semi-anonymous New York collective Guerrilla Girls, whose work is strongly reminiscent of the words-and-pictures style of Barbara Kruger, who was herself in Venice to receive a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement. Four of five Golden Lions went to women this year, another first.

The Australian did a story on the strong showing of female artists this year which was almost comic in its “Lady cops? Now I’ve seen everything!” tone: “The Biennale as a whole is refreshingly diverse and not overwhelmingly political,” it reads, “But a feminist agenda was already apparent before the official prizes were announced on Friday night.” Yep, those chicks and their agendas. ABC (the A is for Australia) also noted the presence of scary tampon-based art. Us, we see a future in which all art is made of tampons. And the museums it appears in are all made of tampons. And the computer you’re reading this on right now? Oh yeah. Tampons.

LINK: The Australian > Lion’s Share for Women