ART EXHIBITION IN VENICE

Over the last summer I took a part in three months long curatorial course Corso Curatori organized by School for Curatorial Studies Venice. As a part of the course, the participants came up with a collaborative project titled Anecdotes on Origin presented by A plus A Gallery in Venice. The show was put together by 19 art professionals from 15 countries. The aim of the show was to cast a doubtful eye on a question of origin and identity as it seems to be more important where you are from than who you are as a person.

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The selection of contributing artists was made by us, students, to touch and link individual topics such as the origins, fears, or coexistence which are the main mechanisms of our environment. How does fear of soldiers suffering Post Traumatic Disorder and fighting in foreign lands affects their minds is pictured in the series Seriously, 2017, by Beth Collar. The next one was Ella Littwitz and her artwork For The glory of The Nation, 2017. On behalf of each newly born citizen in Israel, government plants a pine tree and sends a certificate with the exact location of the tree. This seemingly nice gesture is actually a subtle way how to take over neighboring territory.

 

Another artwork was actually a closed-door off-site event called Empty_Glass_05 by Berlin-based duo Jeschkelanger. The event took a place couple of days before the opening of the show. Jeschkelanger and their chef Hayk came up with a five-course menu blending selected national recipes from the countries of our origins. This delicious fusion of the flavors was served directly on empty clear glass tables with no dishes or cutlery. The traces of us eating and the mixture of our leftovers have not only created a record of the event but also it was a record of our ability to share and collaborate.

 

On the first floor, there was a 3D video projection titled Darwin Darwah, 2017, by Arash Nassiri, an artist of Iranian decedents, who challenges the anthropology of the missing piece in Darwin's theory. The 3D video navigating through a dark tunnel full of ancient columns, statues as well as skeletons of dinosaurs made us question the credibility of our past. Lea Cetera´s artwork rounded up the exhibition by introducing two of her artworks both of them challenging the set expectation of our origins.

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photos by Kristi Giambattista