Exhibition review: SECRET SPACES – BORDERS ART FAIR 2023
Venice | June 16 – July 07, 2023
Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello
ITSLIQUID Group, in collaboration with ACIT Venice – Italian-German Cultural Association, is delighted to share the outstanding success of the opening of SECRET SPACES, second appointment of BORDERS ART FAIR 2023, held in Venice, at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello from June 16 to July 07.
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The festival focuses on the concept of “borders”, between the soul and the body, the human being and the urban space, the city and the ground. The festival analyzes the idea of human and urban borders, how people live them and how they are modified in contemporary society. Every human being lives in a world in which the limits and the borders shape their attitudes and behaviours, limiting freedom and creating a sense of alienation. The human being reacts by breaking the limits and finding a new way of life. We imagine a world of “liquid cities”, where differences create new possibilities instead of being social barriers.
The concept of SECRET SPACES explores the hybridization among art, culture, physical and social identities in contemporary times, by providing an immersive experience inside the complex labyrinths of our consciousness: the human body is a changing system that connects us with other bodies and spaces to perceive the surrounding reality, a strong communication system with its own language and infinite ways of expression. By breaking down traditional boundaries between body and space, individual and collective, artists explore and create new hybrid spaces that challenge their own identity to discover new facets of themselves and push beyond the traditional notions of self and identity.
At the opening event on 16 June, we had the pleasure of welcoming numerous visitors and artists to our venue, Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello. The concept of the art fair was pleasantly enhanced by the Japanese artist Seitaro Yamazaki, whose art revolves around the theme of research and highlights elements that were not chosen for one reason or another in the evolution process: Yamazaki tries to capture the ephemeral beauty that exists on the borders of the world that industrial civilization has torn apart or the beauty of things that lurk and hide on the border between the conscious and unconscious mind.
Through the texture, color and patina of old buildings, the American artist Elisabeth Bard creates environmental tapestries and dreamlike scenes that stimulate the senses and envelop the viewer. Fascinated by the flow of time, space and environment and its impact on the observer, Bard wraps the observer in the image, envelops him in his environment and makes him leave with a different view of his world. The paintings by the German artist Ulrich Perret are distinguished by their style and variety of themes: concentrates of dissolved oxides, acrylics and undiluted penetrable pigments are uniquely applied by Perret onto thin natural wood panels, as they slowly dry, they penetrate the painting, the painted surfaces slowly emerging.
In the realm of sculpture, Ula Gogol‘s works delved into the essence of the human experience, exploring various forms and revealing the hidden depths within different materials. Gogol’s use of resin, concrete, fabrics, and bronze added a sense of depth and complexity to her pieces, inviting viewers to contemplate the intricacies of the human condition. The identity of the exhibited sculptures, lacking the upper limbs and head, is given by a slightly inclined and hunched figure, lost in its deformed lower limbs with concave shoulders and slender figures. It is the lack of euphoria that stimulates one to embody oneself in the sculpture that cultivates the depressive state. The sculpture reflects our passage through emotions in an individualistic way. We close in on ourselves, entangled in hidden problems.
SECRET SPACES highlighted a heterogenous group of talented artists, whose creations left a long-lasting impression on visitors. The concept of the art fair was pleasantly enhanced by Davide Pedriali together with NEROCONCETTO Unstable Group. The mise en éspace directed by Davide Pedriali is a free adaptation of Yasmina Reza’s theatrical text entitled ART, which Pedriali fuses and elaborates, with a stage action of great impact. Hadi MohammadKhani‘s breathtaking performance during the opening at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello stunned the audience. In “Birth of Light” MohammadKhani told the story of change and birth, the story of separation from oneself in order to unite with oneself.
Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello welcomed a great number of artists who created new hybrid spaces that challenge their own identity to discover new facets of themselves and push beyond the traditional notions of self and identity. By depicting the female figure, the Polish artist Joanna Sarapata captures the complexity and mystery of female nature. She often portrays women who are strong and independent, but also extraordinarily sensitive, light and ethereal. By portraying women without eyes, Sarapata invites viewers to interpret their emotions and engage in a contemplative experience. In Joanna’s works it is the body, its posture, pose and gesture that express the state of mind, hidden desires and dilemmas.
On the same wavelength, we find the ‘Madonnas’ series by the Polish artist Malina Wieczorek whose depicted women are reflected as if in Venetian mirrors, unaware of the observation to which they have been exposed and, in a way, condemned. Most of the time they emerge from the image somewhat shyly, with a half gesture or a half profile. Similarly, the Swiss artist Romaine Kuonen is influenced by emotions and lived experiences, as well as the symbolism of legends and mythologies. Different perceptions of things hidden in nature and in different habitats are worked out in various stages and new compositions with acrylic, watercolor and oil.
Katarzyna Tretyn, from Poland, sees the future of art in new technologies, which should, however, derive from tradition. In her work, she raises the problem of the search for identity by a modern man. Katarzyna looks at the language of communication and interpersonal relations, her art describes the world through images, soundtracks, art objects and installations. On the other hand, Jaie Johnson-Miller captures transient vignettes of city life, highlighting moments that might otherwise remain unseen. Continually seeking fleeting moments of serenity amidst bustling cityscapes, Johnson-Miller transforms ordinary scenes into extraordinary photographic narratives. His work stands as a testament to his keen eye and his ability to craft poetically charged images.
organized by ITSLIQUID Group
curator Luca Curci
in collaboration with ACIT Venice – Italian-German Cultural Association | GOETHE INSTITUT
project manager Giulia Tassi
project coordinators Maria Teresa Cafarelli, Amaride Ferrante
collaborators Melis Di Gennaro, Sara Mingozzi, Giulia Morroni, Seher Muhtar, Annachiara Recchia
graphic designers Marina Caracciolo, Maria Ilaria Rutigliano
supported by TURALIS/ DELGREEN
VENUE
Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello
Associazione Culturale Italo-Tedesca (ACIT)
First floor
Cannaregio, 4118, Venice, Italy
June 16 – July 07, 2023
09:30 AM – 05: 30 PM | Monday – Friday
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OUR LOCATION
Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello is one of the most known palaces of the Renaissance in Venice. It is a historical building dating back to the 16th century, and it has been owned by several noble Venetian families, as demonstrated by the frescoed ceilings, the artistic stuccos and the fine furniture that enriches its rooms. The Palace welcomes visitors with its beautiful private garden on the ground floor, and then it gathers the guests in its large first-floor salons, in which past and present dialogue together. The restored Old Masters’ frescoes and the contemporary art masterpieces that are periodically shown in the exhibitions hosted here, make Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello the perfect location for the balance between old and new, between ancient environment and contemporary art, architecture and design.
Today the building is managed by ACIT Venice – the Italian-German Cultural Association – which is considered one of the most important intercultural associations in Europe. Thanks to the ACIT unceasing cultural activity, Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello has nowadays frequent collaborations with the Goethe Institute and with other local and international institutions, maintaining its ancient reputation. Because of these relations, it presents a huge program of memorable art exhibitions, conferences, congresses and concerts. Among the last institutional exhibitions, is its participation in the 58th Venice Biennale with the Guatemala pavilion, the Dominican Republic pavilion and the Grenada pavilion. ITSLIQUID Group already had the pleasure to hold some festivals and exhibitions in Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello, such as MORPHOS Festival and FUTURE IDENTITIES Festival, both in 2014.