I've been checking out the reviews of the 53rd Venice Biennale over the past few days that for the most part purport that Daniel Birnbaum's theme of "Making Worlds," resulted in a biennale that is cautious, disciplined, and fairly unremarkable. Michael Kimmelman's review for the New York Times, which you can read here, goes so far as to say that, "If any show can be said to reflect a larger state of affairs in art now, this one suggests a somewhat dull, deflated contemporary art world, professionalized to a fault, in search of a fresh consensus." I've been trapped in this miserable Chicago summer (rain? cold?), and did not have the fortune to check it out in person. I'm interested in what people who did have the opportunity to travel to Venice this year thought about the show? Please send your thoughts my way.