KEY
- Orto Botanica, Palermo
- Orto Botanica, Palermo
- 'Planetary Garden' by Manifesta 12, 2018.
- Giulia, Giovanni La Cognata, 2005
- Biografia, Giovanni la Cognata, 2005
- Cecilia Vicuña, 'Violeta Parra', 1973
- Breakfast Corner by Do Ho Suh Seoul, Korea, 2018.
- 'Present Tense' by Mona Hatoum, 1996.
- People run poem by Michael Rosen, 2015.
- ‘W reading the maxims of Imam Ali’ by Safdar Ahmed 2012.
- 'The Soul of Salt' by Patricia Kaersenhout, 2016.
- 'The Soul of Salt' by Patricia Kaersenhout, 2016.
- 'Routes II' by Mona Hatoum, 2002.
- Travelling perfomances by Tania bruguera, 2017.
- Giuseppe Lana, 'Square' 2018.
- Carolina by Albert Giacometti, 1961
- Mohamed Bourouissa, ‘La République’, 2006, from the series Périphérique © Mohamed Bourouissa, Kamel Mennour, Paris/London and Blum & Poe, Los Angeles
- HARA!!!!!!hAAARAAAAA!!!!!hHARAAA!!! (2021) 21 May 2021 - 1 August 2021 By Mohamed Bourouissa.
- Graffiti in Gioiosa.
- Banksy, Street Art in Paris, 2020.
- Jean Julien on the Refugee Crisis, 2016.
- Alphi Phuddle - Part of Safdar Ahmed's 'Villawood' Project, 2015.
- AptART project, 2010.
- Canteri Culturali
- Shapoor Safari, a restaurant owner in Palermo who travelled from Afghanistan.
- The "gritty" streetfood of Palermo.
- 'The Wall of Respect' in Chicago, 1967.
Introduction and Exhibition Summary: Palermo is a city that has built on myriad cultures, families, individuals and influences. Nonetheless, today the identity of Sicilian citizens and refugees has becoming an increasingly politicised topic. This exhibition seeks to focus on open-space and open-dialogue in an attempt to highlight the need for humanisation and the restoration of agency in this debate, understanding that politics and the media have hindered the self-representation of refugees. The exhibition is divided into three sub-categories: Identity, Resistance and Agency. The first, taking place in and around the Orto Bortanico Gardens, will focus of works of public art that represent the various characteristics that form one's identity. Understanding identity in this context as all encompassing to include the identity of Palermo, of Sicily, of Refugees and of Italians. Thus, demonstrating the ever-changing nature of Identity, whilst acknowledging its importance. The second section, based in the warehouses of the Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa, will aim to engage with pieces that have utilised the power of public art as a means of political resistance; namely, resistance against the rigid notions of identity that have permeated the political landscape across the globe. Finally, we aim to finish the exhibition a short walk away at the Porto Palermo, with a positive closing section that is focused on projects, food stalls and art which looks to bring forth the agency of individual's whose voices have been muted as a result of their demonization. Although many of the pieces included in this collection
IDENTITY
Orto Botanica, Palermo
The 1875 painting ‘View of Palermo’ is unpicked by the artists to reveal how Palermo is moulded by a long lasting syncretism of cultures. Nothing in the view is indigenous to Palermo, highlighting the importance of cultural diversity for growth.
“The Spanish influence is the last; the first is Greek, the second and third are the Saracens and Normans; the Renaissance barely touched here. Combine these various cultural elements with a blinding sun, an African earth, a considerable quantity of dust and incredible vegetation, and what you have is Sicily.” (Mundi, 2015)
Parallels are drawn between the garden being a site for growth and cross-pollination, and Palermo as a multicultural hub, where diversity can co-exist and flourish. The term 'planetary garden' refers to the world, with humans as the gardeners, emphasising how the gardeners do not take control the site and in order for it to flourish, they must respect other species. Refugees and migrants historically and contemporarily play a fundamental role in the rich and diverse fabric of society in Palermo.
Sicily, a region at the fulcrum of meditarreanon culture. Sicily stands entrenched in classical myth and ancient mystique. Sicilians, not the loquacious types, are proud children of one of the worlds melting pots of culture. Giovanni la Cognata (the creator of these two pieces) is proud of his sicilian roots and after a 10 year hiatus in Milan, he returned to Sicily to reconnect with the birth of his inspiration. These images capture this diversity. Showcased in his 2005 Palazzo Ducale in Gubbio, he sought to recreate and strip back the complexities of the modern world, and recapture the simplicity of his home. Figure two (Giulia) depicts his daughter, Giulia. It is a visual representation of the children of Sicily, his love for the region and his reconnection with the island as an inspiration for art. This piece is exhibited at the Imago Mundi - Mediterranean Routes, a dedication to Sicilys Meditarranean routes. Figure three (Biografia) showcases the rich earth of Sicily, which La Cognata reconnected with. This is the land that has housed migration for centuries
Cecilia Vicuña, a Chilean composer, singer and visual artist. She has painted this depiction of a naked women so that we, as the audience can see the humour in everyday heroes and life itself. Growing up in Socialist Chile, she was attached to the idea that everyone has the opportunity to be something. Unity comes from dehumanising those in power, understanding that we as a society "laugh together". Cecilia Vicuna offers the opportunity to lament wrongs and unify despite out different identities.
Born in South Korea, Do Ho Suh made a portable version of his Korean family home to accompany him as he currently works and lives between three continents. Discrediting identity as static in any way, this piece suggests that identity is intrinsic and fluid. For Suh, creating art allows him to emphasise agency in the expression of identity.
"Your house gets inside of you" - Do Ho Suh
Hatoum's 'Present Tense' is a floor-level sculpture consisting of 2,200 bars of soap that create an abstract map of the Middle East. The beads delineate the map, marking the land to be 'returned' to Palestine. The soap is traditionally Palestinian, made purely from olive oil, and Hatoum claims: "The Palestinians who came to the gallery recognized the smell and the material immediately. I saw that particular soap as a symbol of resistance. It is one of those traditional Palestinian productions that have carried on despite drastic changes in the area.”.
At odds with being placed in a strange and struggling identity, Hatoum resists this through the symbolic and often poetic language of her art. She was born in Beirut, Lebanon, of Palestinian origin, and has been living in London since 1975 when the Lebanese civil war broke out. In her own words, identities themselves can be corrupt, through the source of opposition, that is often her 'home'. The necessity of resisting this is crucial, in reclaiming the means to formulate identity.
Michael Rosen's evocative poem describes the plight of his Father's Uncle and his wife and their persecution. Rosen powerful writes in an assertive, almost factual tone which provokes the feeling that identity is sometimes externally formed by governments and regimes. What is especially powerful, is that Rosen often writes poetry and novels designed for children. This is important to recognise as it affirms the power and breadth of reach it could have, due to its simplicity, if displayed in large writing on a wall.
Safdar Ahmed evocative portrait of 'W' reading at the Villawood Detention Centre in Australia brings forth a respectful tone regarding the identity of refugees. Nonetheless, Ahmed's portrait is a drawing he has done of a refugee, representing W within the identity of his location - in Villawood Detention Centre - and his religion - reading the maxims of Imam Ali. This brings forward the need to centralise refugee's agency, and not define their identity due to such factors.
"It evokes history and the erasing of history and the things that have been done to so many marginalized groups by the dominant culture… So because I had the theory and the ingredients, the pieces of the project fell together." Patricia Kaersenhout
This installation piece was a public performance, in which a large pile of salt was the centre point of a ritualistic blessing ceremony. An 18th century slave song was sung by a group of Syrian and North African refugees and the audience were encouraged to take a portion of salt and dissolve in water, symbolic of dissolving past traumas and redefining identities. The artist, an immigrant herself, drew parallels between the enslaved bodies being transported across the oceans historically and the contemporary refugee crisis.
Hatoum's 'Routes II' consists of five airline maps, which she has annotated and altered. The paths she drew on the globes are chartered mainly by movement rather than geographic, national or political boundaries, alluding to the fluidity of identity, and the autonomous process of expressing identity. In her words, the paths she drew were intended to be "routes for the rootless".
RESISTANCE
According to Art Journalist Ada Savin 'Bruguera’s installations combine solid structures with ephemeral ones, while others are performances with the artist performing in front of an audience, requested to actively participate in the artwork.' Although Bruguera's work is not directly related to the themes of the exhibition, her work is easily applied to any context of political resistance as she can be understood as a stalwart of resistance art. Moreover, the 'travelling' nature of her work implies its transportable to other contexts such as that of identity and agency of refugees.
According to Hyper-Allergic’s Website - Giuseppe ‘Lana reverses the nationalistic sentiment of Mussolini’s original quote by translating it into the four most commonly spoken languages in the Mediterranean. Displayed in several locations throughout Palermo’s streets, Lana’s billboards offer potent criticism of the rise of the populist, anti-immigrant federal ruling party in Italy.’ Subverting the nationalist sentiment of Mussolini’s quote in which he says that Italy is a nation of “a nation of poets, of artists, of heroes, of saints, of thinkers, of scientists, of navigators, of migrants” by translating into Hebrew, Turkish and Greek
Carolina, one of Albert Giometti's reoccurring objects. The connection between Nigerian women and prostitution plagues Sicilian discourse. Carolina is depicted as being helpless, by prescribing her identity as a sex worker as a group they have been marginalised by society. Giometti's old piece is a reminder of the dangers of demonization of groups and identities within society. Agency of identity has steered Sicilian society since its creation.
This emotionally charged scene was captured by Bourouissa. The scene is populated by young black men, in the immigrant area of Paris where the artist lived as a teenager. As a response to President Emmanuel Macron's imposition of draconian laws, supposedly to curb the spread of radical Islam, this piece attempts to challenge prescribed identities from the government. The community he grew up in, Bourouissa claims, was either viewed in a paternalistic and patronising way, or in stories about disturbances or crime. Hoping to shatter pre-existing stereotypes of migrant and refugee identities, this piece invokes a sense of collectivity and of resistance.
This new performative work takes on the term ‘hara’, distorting it into a poetic sound installation. The term ‘hara’ is used by young lookouts to alert drug deals of approaching police in Marseilles. Bourouissa draws upon themes of socio-economic and racial inequality and the charged legacy of colonialism. Though chanelling this act of political resistance through art, Bourouissa demonstrates the way in which art can represent acts of resistance artistically. As a more covert political statement that does not attempt to glamorise, he draws on the French governments inhospitable reaction to the refugee crisis which glazes over the harsh realities of crime and drug use.
This piece of public art brings to light the importance of principles in the plight of resistance. The graffiti says "Fight, unity and popular participation for the civil and democratic growth of Gioiosa Lonica and the South of Italy." Whilst it is important to recognise the specificity of this piece, that was created to fight corruption in Gioiosa, it shows how there are universal principles which can help facilitate positive, progress resistance - namely, 'unity and popular participation.'
Here is Banksy's spin on Jacques-Louis David’s iconic 1801 painting of Napoleon crossing the Alps. Here, Banksy subverts the image of Napoleon, relocating the national power into a piece of art that centres a rider who wears a red shawl. Banksy is playing on the images of power, by bringing in elements of resistance, such as the inclusion of the colour red.
AGENCY
Shows the need for agency, it wasn’t done by a refugee it was done by a French artist. This image is integral in shedding light on the issue of agency, refugee artwork is often sidelined. Agency is inherent in identity and migration, Palermo is different to both Sicily and Italy, agency was integral to its creation.
Simultaneously illustrates the power of a refugee's self perception, Ahmed said. that on the one hand he 'confronts the issue of mental illness' whilst representing 'strength and resistance to the conditions' of the detention centre. This shows the power that art has in restoring agency to refugees. However, the inability to find any information on the artist illustrates an inherent issue in the way refugees are treated globally, demonstrating the further need for migrants artist platform. Agency creates self governance.
According to the AptART project, they aim to ‘give the children an opportunity to take ownership of shared spaces, have a creative outlet, learn to work together and share their voice with the larger community.’ Below, is the Canteri Culturali, which is a shared creative space, in which such a mural would be possible.
"Our island is like a mosaic" - the multiple layers of Sicilian cuisine as a result of centuries of immigration
Shapoor Safari, - Shows the need for agency, it wasn’t done by a refugee it was done by a French artist. This image is integral in shedding light on the issue of agency as refugee artwork is often sidelined. Agency is inherent in identity and migration, Palermo is different to both Sicily and Italy, agency was integral to its creation.
This layered mural was painted by the Organisation of Black American Culture in 1967 and grew out of the Black Liberation Movement of the 1960s. Met with controversy and criticism, it's physical presence did not last long, yet the creation of the mural empowered the communities to collaboratively narrate and explore identities. It became a site for political gatherings and other events during the Civil Rights movement. They included the faces of multiple heroes, using OBACs definition, “any black person who honestly reflects the beauty of black life and genius in his or her style”. A poignant example of a celebration of identity, this piece elicits collective empowerment and resistance to prescribed identities.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ahmed, Syed Safdar, ‘Art, ingenuity + refugees’, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7Wi8vqhze0 [accessed 13.04.21]
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