International ArtExpo Liquid Borders | Bari 2013

International ArtExpo Liquid Borders | Bari 2013

Image courtesy of Andrea Colangiuli 

Liquid Borders | Bari 2013  
Art of liquid modernity

On July 3rd and 4th, 2013 there were the great openings of Liquid Borders - International art festival of photography, video art and installation, proudly organized by “La Corte - Fotografia e ricerca” cultural organization and International ArtExpo, in Bari (Italy), in the prestigious and historical locations of Castello Svevo (Swabian Castle), Santa Teresa dei Maschi and Sala Murat. The event will last until July 31, 2013.

The press conference was on Friday the 28th of June 2013 at 11.30 AM, in the Sala Sveva of Castello Svevo (Swabian Castle).

Click here to download the full feedback release and photo reportage.

The Festival is based on the main concept of the hybridization among art, culture, physical and social identities in contemporary cities, and the mixing between people and space. Urban environments, people, rules and limits are no more distinct realities, but they constantly modify and get mixed together, generating new connections and hybrid results, with undefined ethic, social, sexual and religious borders. Forty-two artists, from all over the world, have been invited to present their artworks related to the theme, during the festival which will be hosted in the three venues of the city of Bari, until the end of July. The aim of the festival is to understand which are the borders still alive in contemporary metropolis, and which ones have become undefined and hybrid. To understand that, artists use material, pictures, sounds, videos and site-specific installations.

"Applying the liquid modernity society concept proposed by contemporary sociologist Bauman, which suggests that contemporary society rapidly changes before any kind of social constructions can become a long lasting structures, it’s difficult to identify which could be the perfect setting for an art exhibition about the hybridization among art, culture, physical and social identities in contemporary cities. Usually in our modern “liquid society” non-places are the favourite settings to host a contemporary art exhibition, for this reason it was decided to take a nonconformist decision and organize the event into the classical and historical location of the castle, creating an interesting and collateral dialogue between the space and the artistic production of artists from all over the world.

Forty-two International artists represent and exhibit their personal vision about all the dynamic and multiple societies that compose our liquid present. Artists focus their attention on the relationship and contamination between people and urban spaces; on our identity which sometime is fluid and with undefined ethic, social, sexual and religious borders and, at the same time, can be so defined and marked to be the core of modern social pathologies. The exhibition hosts a wide range of styles and themes, all characterized by the artists’ countries and experiences. [...] The curatorial intent is to make different societies compare, to understand which one is fluid, liquid, fragile, defined or changeable. The basic research of the project aims to discover which are the well-defined differences still present in our society and which bounders are fluid and disappeared. Artists develop the research using the material and all its physical presence; through images, sounds, videos and site-specific installations.

The exhibited artworks offer an overview about the dynamics of modern societies and hybrid metropolis. Artists focus on different themes: multiple identities faced by Daniel Pešta with is plastic artworks and by Heather Connelly just through the sound. Daniela Corbascio and her installation talk about the memory as collective identity. Her work is emotional as the close-up video images of Andreas Mareš. Photos by Labib Sharfuddin and Sanja Jovanovic catch the social decay instead of the more ironic artworks of Catrine Val, with her feminine and irreverent masks. Giouli Tsatsopoulou presents an abundance of personality through faceless self-portraits hidden behind plants. Nora Schöpfer work orbits around the concept of non-spaces and time. In her "same time-same space” series she creates a collage of pictures and graphic signs on a chaos of human shapes apparently amassed without any relation between them and between time and space. Human relationships and their complexity are analyzed by the ironic installation of Mohammad Arif which highlights the difficult success of rapports between men and women, men with men and women with women. The change, transformation and rapid connections which modify identities and spaces, are the core of the video architecture works by MAD architects.

The exhibition is an example of how contemporary art is the mirror of our society described by the emotions of a poet, the artist, and through his/her images, sounds,  videos and installations which are disposed cagily and with an open-minded mood at the same time, among the centenary stones that host them. 'Abandon all hope of totality, future as well as past, you who enter the world of liquid modernity' states Bauman, because during the era of marketing 3.0, rapidly ageing of technology and communication revolution, there are few anchorages in our society: the nation, religion, family and freedom, which are parallel worlds sometimes too far from each others. From this background artists deduce their personal anthropologic tale, their mirror of society". Fausta Maria Bolettieri and Luca Curci, curators

International ArtExpo would like to acknowledge all the artists for their effort, vision, and passion for contemporary art.

In the Sala Sveva, at the ground floor of Castello Svevo, is projected the video “Solipsist” by Andrew Thomas Huang, American filmmaker and artist, showcased at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (USA), the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase at Cannes Lions (France), the Hammer Museum (USA), MOCA Taipei (Taiwan), the ZKM Media Museum in Karlsruhe (Germany) and the ASVOFF festival at Centre Pompidou in Paris (France). His short film “Solipsist“ was honoured at the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase at Cannes Lions and won Best Experimental Short Film at the Slamdance Film Festival. The film caught the attention of Icelandic polymath Bjork, leading Andrew to direct her music video for “Mutual Core”, premiering at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (USA). Furthermore the projection includes the video-architecture works “Ordos”, “Absolute Towers” and “Fish Tank” by MAD architects, founded in 2004 by Ma Yansong, the studio has been awarded the 2011 RIBA international fellowship. Among all the futuristic project realized by MAD architects: the Absolute Towers in Toronto (Canada), the China Wood Sculpture Museum (China), the Harbin Culture Island in Harbin (China) and the Ordos Museum (Inner Mongolia). Andreas Mareš, a passionate Austrian artist, presents his new video “KUH”. His artworks have been exhibited at Videoholica“ (Bulgaria, 2012), “PAN International Videoart Festival“ (Italy, 2012), “Große Kunstausstellung“ (Germany, 2011) and many other International exhibitions.

In the Sala Bona Sforza of the Castle, is installed the artwork “Levitation” of Daniel Pešta, Czech artist, represented by MuMo Muzeum Montanelli of Prague (Czech Republic); his artworks are exhibited in numerous contemporary museums, collections and events such as the Contemporary Art Museum of Prague (Czech Republic), the Contemporary Art Museum of Osnabrück (Germany), the Contemporary Art Museum of Solingen (Germany). His project “I was born in your bed” is presently showcased at the Biennale of Venice, 55 edition.

At the second floor of the Castle, in the Sala Angioina, is showcased the “Feminist” photographic series by Catrine Val, talented German artist, which took part in “Falsefakes” exhibition at Centre de la photographie di Ginevra (Switzerland); “FIVAC Festival” of Camaguey (Cuba); ”Internationale Frauen film festival” of Dortmund (Germany); “European Chronicles - Photography Festival” of Cardiff (UK); “Gaze on what I gaze” at Art Museum at The Art Park in Hsinchu (Taiwan); “HUMAN RIGHTS” at Fondazione Opera dei Caduti of Rovereto (Italy). In the Sala Angioina, is presented the photographic work of Nora Schöpfer, Austrian artist which artworks have been presented in many museums, galleries and events such as: Städtische Galerie Wollhalle of Güstrow (Germany), “KunStart 12” Contemporary art fair in Bolzano (Italy), Galerie Thomas Flora of Düsseldorf (Germany), Innsbruck University (Austria), Giardino di Daniel Spörri in Seggiano (Italy), Galleria Prisma of Bolzano (Italy), New Orleans Fine Art University department (USA). Among her prizes, she was awarded with the Art Award by the Federal Ministry for Education and Arts, "Geist und Form" of Vienna (Austria).

In the Sala Bona Sforza, there are the experimental photographic works on glass by Antonio Trotta, which was one of the founder of “Gruppo SI” in 1960 and took part in the Biennale of Venice in 1968. Daniela Corbascio, Italian artist which exhibited her works in numerous events such as the Padiglione Puglia of the Biennale of Venice in 2011 and “Ritorno a Venezia” exhibition by Museo Pino Pascali in 2011, presents her new installation “Call your mother”, in the central yard of the Castle.

The installation “Extemporary blankets” by Emanuele Saracino is connected with the sound-art artwork “This is me - Speaking through the voice of another” by Heather Connelly, in Sala Murat.

During Liquid Borders exhibition, “La Corte - Fotografia e ricerca” cultural organization presents the photography exhibition of Domenico Pastore, in the Cappella of Catello Svevo.

In the Multimedia Hall of the Castle and in the Conference Hall of Santa Teresa dei Maschi, are projected the video works of the artists: Benna (Italy), Christine Istad (Norway), Debbie Davies (USA), Fred L'Epée (Switzerland), German Arrubla (Colombia), Gianluigi Maria Masucci (Italy), Gregory Steel (USA), Grè (Italy), Johannes Knoops (USA), Kate Macdonald (Canada), Katrina Stamatopoulos (Australia), Launa Bacon (USA), Laura Potrovic & Darko Jeftic (Croatia), Lucia Flego (Italia), Maureen Bachaus (The Netherlands), May San Alberto (Spain), Takeshi Furuya (Japan), Todd Fuller (Australia), Toni Simò (Spain), Tony Neto (Brazil) and Vera Arjoma (Finland).

In the Sala Angioina and Sala Bona Sforza of the Castle, are presented the photo works of Alessio Larocchi (Italy), Labib M. Sharfuddin (Bangladesh), Sanja Jovanovic (Serbia), Paul Tarpey (Ireland), Giouli Tsatsopoulou (Greece), Eran Gilat (Israel) and the digital animation by Stefano Romano (Italy). In Santa Teresa dei Maschi there are the installation by Erica Battello (Italy) and the photo works by Alice Giacone (Italy), along with the above-mentioned video selection.

July 31st 2013, at the end of the Liquid Borders, there will be the selection of the winners of one International exhibition organized by International ArtExpo and offered by It’s Liquid Group, 3 art residences at Palazzo Calò in Bari (Italy), Tenuta Pinto in Mola di Bari (Italy) and Palazzo Siena in Minervino di Lecce (Italy).

The catalogue is edited by Adda Editore.

Information regarding the venues
The Castello Svevo (Swabian Castle), symbol of the city of Bari, was built around 1132 by Norman King Roger II. The Castle is surrounded by a moat on all sides, except the northern section, which was bordering the sea and can be accessed from the bridge and the gate on the southern side. It is mainly composed of the Aragon walls and the main Swabian tower, and is currently used for exhibitions. Sala Murat is a cultural space of 400 square meters located in Piazza del Ferrarese, in the centre of Bari. It’s dedicated to art and contemporary exhibition, workshops and conferences. Inside the space it’s permanently exhibited a wall drawing by the minimalist artist Sol LeWitt. Santa Teresa dei Maschi is an ex-cloister, today seat of the Provincial Library for Culture and Arts “De Gemmis”, given in 1952 by Baron de Gennaro Gemmis.

Hours
Castello Svevo. Everyday, 9.00 AM - 6.30 PM
Sala Murat. From Tuesday to Sunday, 10.00 AM - 1.00 PM, 6.00 PM - 9.00 PM
Santa Teresa dei Maschi. From Monday to Friday, 9.00 AM - 2.00 PM; Tuesday and Thursday, 3.00 PM - 6.00 PM

Special thanks to Piero Laterza (Global Banker), Antonello Colaninno (Team Manager) and Claudio Colaninno (Global Banker), Banca Mediolanum Family Banker, as main sponsor.

ENDS

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