UniSR at the Venice Biennale

The workshop “IDENTITÀ ESPOSTE. Pratiche artistiche tra estraneità e appartenenza”, curated by Professor Francesca Pola, coordinator of the Master’s Degree in Theory and History of the Arts and the Image in UniSR, will be featured at the 60th International Art Exhibition in Venice from May 17th to 19th.

Thanks to the participation of professors, researchers, PhDs, students and the Artogether Association, the event will provide an opportunity for discussion on fundamental issues for contemporary culture and society, seen from an interdisciplinary perspective, which is a characteristic feature of the Master’s Degree in Theory and History of the Arts and the Image. Operating within the Faculty of Philosophy at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, it is a Course that offers an experimental and innovative education in the Italian university landscape, based on the intertwining of theoretical knowledge of art history with critical tools of the philosophical and aesthetic area, and an active and concrete relationship with the system of the arts.

The pluralistic identities present in the exhibition are "exposed" both in the sense of being presented in the exhibition and in their fragility and vulnerability, but also in their richness and potentiality of meanings, in their liminal and marginal stories and experiences that the workshop aims to investigate as porous spaces "between estrangement and belonging".

Francesca Pola, Associate Professor of contemporary art history, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan

Included within the Biennale Sessions - Biennale Arte 2024 in Venice, the workshop, promoted by ICONE - Centro Europeo di Ricerca di Storia e Teoria dell'Immagine of Vita-Salute San Raffaele University of Milan, in collaboration with UniSR Live Campus and the student association Artogether, aims to reflect on the key themes of the exhibition "Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere", such as: identity, gender, citizenship and freedom, through the lens of contemporary art.

A unique opportunity for UniSR to explore the complex dynamics of contemporary art in one of the most prestigious international cultural events.

The interdisciplinary workshop IDENTITÀ ESPOSTE. Pratiche artistiche tra estraneità e appartenenza expresses in various ways the specificity that characterizes the teaching, research, and third mission activities of our Master’s Degree in Theory and History of the Arts and the Image, and its openness to dialogue with all our entire university and beyond. It is dedicated to the UniSR community, but with a keynote session open to the public, and is conceived as an opportunity for experiential and collaborative learning. It is based on an active and direct engagement with the works on display and among the participants, in a key not only interdisciplinary but also intergenerational, involving students, researchers, and professors. Furthermore, it arises from a marked vocation for the present: to confront current issues, such as individual and collective marginalities and the importance of dialogue between cultures, to generate new knowledge from shared reflections on today's challenges. This is all the more urgent in a moment like the present, which demands that art and culture become, as never before, builders of peace.

Francesca Pola, Associate Professor of contemporary art history, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan

 

Friday May 17th

The day kicks off with the Keynote Session, open to all visitors and scheduled for 12 p.m. in Sala F, Padiglione Centrale at Giardini della Biennale. It will also be available via live streaming for those interested in following online.

During this session, participants will be introduced to the central themes of the 2024 edition by the teaching staff of the Faculty of Philosophy at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University: Professor Francesca Pola, Professor Massimo Donà, Professor Andrea Tagliapietra, and Professor Francesco Valagussa.

The Keynote Session is part of the PRIN 2022 research project “Colere Hereditatem Between Peace, Conflicts, and Global Change. A New and Old Challenge for Europe”, funded by the European Union - Next Generation EU.

Friday May 17th afternoon and Saturday May 18th

From Friday afternoon and throughout the day on Saturday, the workshop will feature a series of thematic paths, led by six PhD students in contemporary art history and aesthetics of Vita-Salute San Raffaele University. The audience will be divided into small groups that will be guided to delve into different aspects of the exhibition: from the decolonial perspective to institutional criticism, from collective authorship to gender issues, including sculptures and multimedia creations.

Sunday May 19th

To enrich the experience of workshop participants and to further develop reflections in light of the discussions and suggestions emerged in the previous days, there will be a day dedicated to the visits of the Exhibition.

The outcomes of the discussions held during the Keynote Session and the group activities will then be publicly presented in educational and outreach initiatives of Vita-Salute San Raffaele University of Milan.

The proposal by the exhibition curator of the Adriano Pedrosa aims to highlight the latest artistic practices as an expression of an increasingly complex world, characterized by crises of both an individual and collective nature, which go beyond any traditional notion of boundaries, nation and territory.

It is in this context that fits the theme of the 60th Biennale, "Stranieri Ovunque - Foreigners Everywhere", which takes direct inspiration from the homonymous series of works created by the collective Claire Fontaine.

The expression "Foreigners Everywhere" - says Pedrosa - has (at least) a double meaning. First of all, it means that wherever you go and wherever you are you will always meet foreigners: they are/we are everywhere. Secondly, that no matter where you are, deep down you are always truly foreign.

Francesca Pola, Associate Professor of contemporary art history, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan

 

Cover: MAHKU. 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, Foreigners Everywhere. Photo by: Matteo de Mayda. Courtesy: La Biennale di Venezia