Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka, Susceptibility to gravity for "In Minor Keys," at the Venice Biennale. Photo: Marco Pavan Even in the context of 21st-century life, the buildup to the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia has been uncommonly controversial. But one thing is certain: between Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, November 22, hundreds of thousands of art world luminaries and lookie-loos will fly, drive, and boat their way through the pavilions within the Giardini and Arsenale.