Over the summer, Swoon’s Swimming Cities of Serenissima successfully crashed the Venice Biennale in what art critic Jerry Saltz calls “the most moving moment I had.” Hosted by Anonymous Gallery, a retrospective of this hand built boating expedition takes places at Collective Hardware tonight. Named after the Italian villagers bestowed on the project, “Pankabestia: Punk Beasts of the Swimming Cities of Serenissima” will feature massive wall drawings, trash barge installations, flotsam from the Adriatic Sea and other crew art. See more of Tod Seelie’s photos from the Mediterranean trip below. Read more »

Swoon’s Swimming Cities of Serenissima, her latest fleet of handbuilt raft sculptures, launched into the Adriatic Sea in Slovenia and floated into Venice in time for the Biennale. Their safe arrival will be celebrated here in New York with a benefit party at Honey Space, which hosted a subterranean installation by the seafaring street artist last year. A silent auction of artwork by Swoon, Honey Space founder Thomas Beale, and other New York artists will be followed by a party with some Vermont-based bands and booze. Click the images above for a view of the artistically styled watercraft.