These penguins began to appear on balconies throughout the city shortly before the opening of the Venice Biennale: dedicated to showcasing the most avant guarde of contemporary art and architecture from all over the world alternatively each year (this is the year for art: http://www.labiennale.org/).

Aren’t they great?

I haven’t run into anyone who knows anything about them; what they’re for, who’s responsible for them, anything. For me, it’s just a bit of pura fantasia: nothing political, spiritual, no message, nothing designed to inform, assist, instruct, shock or appall; a purely innocuous form that’s the wrong color, the wrong size, in the wrong place, doing something it would never normally do, that causes you to stop, just for a moment, smile and say, cosaaaaaa??? each time you run across them. At least, I do.

Maybe there’s a further explanation that will at some point be revealed about them. I hope not. And if you hear of it, please, don’t let me know.