Dates: 25 May – 1 July 2007
Place: Tent. Rotterdam
Curated by Angela Serino as TENT. guest-curator.
Artists: Marjolijn Dijkman, LU CAFAUSU (a collaborative project by Italian artists Cesare Pietroiusti, Luigi Negro and Emilio Fantin) and Francesca Grilli, Merel van ‘t Hullenaar and Niels Vis.
The project was financially supported by: TENT. Rotterdam and the Italian Cultural Institute Amsterdam.
“Contemporary Passages” questions how physical mobility affects the production and communication of meaning, with particular reference to the dimensions of time, space and locality.
Other than in the recent past, where moving was an exceptional experience and journeys were finite, today more people move for temporary periods of time and in multiple directions, driven by curiosity, material need or practical necessity.
This creates a new complex geography where people with different perspectives, values and understandings repeatedly criss-cross each other. In such a context, other forms of collectivity and ways of relating to space emerge, which require and shape new combinations of geographic distance and intimacy, physical proximity and knowledge and familiarity.
Considering these observations, “Contemporary Passages” – via an exhibition, a public discussion and a film screening - explores the relationships between subjects and places, physical sites and community dynamics that occur while we live and move between multiple spaces, time zones and cultural contexts.
In the exhibition, Marjolijn Dijkman presents “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum”, a collection of photographs taken by the artist during her travels. Lu Cafausu (A False Luke) is a recent collaborative project by Luigi Negro, Giancarlo Norese and Cesare Pietroiusti. An old coffeehouse, located in the south of Italy, has become the inspiration for stories and actions, with the emphasis on the personal relationships between people. Invited by the artists, Francesca Grilli presents “A Study for Enduring Midnight”, a project focused on the figure of the ‘Chiangi Muerti’ (paid mourner). Van ‘t Hullenaar and Vis presents “Simultaan”, a functional transformation of the gallery space that creates a new way to simultaneously experience different levels of the exhibition space.
“Contemporary Passages” Events:
31 May:
Conversation with artists and culture producers on the influence of artists in residence and the notion of the local. With artists Susanne Kriemann (Rotterdam), Praneet Soi (Amsterdam/Calcutta), curator Annie Fletcher (Amsterdam), director of Dutch Art Institute Gabrielle Schleijpen (Amsterdam/Enschede). And with contributions from artists Rosa Barba (Amsterdam) and Cesare Pietroiusti (Rome).
21 June:
Screening of the film Walderedo (2006) by Pablo Pijnappel (Amsterdam), followed by a talk between Angela Serino and the artist.
