AtWork’s new chapter in Venice is a collaboration with the UNHCR and is dedicated to the creative potential of every individual, whatever their status.
“The theme “Where is the South?” strives to free our mind from all the prejudices and ideologies that crowd our heads when we name the cardinal points, and to reconsider them for what they are: directions. If we succeed in doing so, we shall rediscover that South or North do not exist as such but become activated in their meaning by the way we think about them. No matter where we are, there is always a south, and therefore it is us who are entitled to define the meaning of the “word”, because South starts from me.”
This is the statement by Simon Njami to find common ground from which to start a discussion, stimulate critical thinking, and open a sideways look at issues that seem obvious but, of course, never are.
The chapter takes place in two phases: the workshop, from September 9th to 13th, and the exhibition of notebooks produced by the participants, from September 17th to November 24th, at Palazzo Querini.
The exhibition is hosted inside Rothko in Lampedusa, a contemporary art exhibition promoted by UNHCR, and organized in conjunction with the 2019 Biennale of Art.
In line with the UNHCR collaboration, this Venice chapter of AtWork is dedicated to refugees. Participants will be young people of various origins, backgrounds and status to reaffirm that every human being is endowed with a unique and unrepeatable creative force, whose expression is a contribution to the cultural and human development of the community that surrounds them.
This message is so important to us, we sought to amplify it at the Barcolana; the biggest regatta in the world. On October 13th in Trieste, the Kleronia sail boat will be made available by its owners to bear the UNHCR flag in support of this message. The Barcolana is a large festival of seafarers who convene year after year not only to compete, but to share passions, routes, dreams, and along with them, share a way to experience the sea, the planet: through the culture of the sea.
In support of this culture, and its imperative laws of relief and acceptance, we will symbolically bring to Trieste a manifesto of the sea conceived during the Venice AtWork workshop and we will invite seafarers to symbolically raise the UNHCR flag among the rails that will fly during the regatta.
Carlotta Sami, UNHCR spokeswoman for Southern Europe, who will be on board with us commented on our collaboration: “UNHCR, United Nations Refugee Agency, is excited to participate as a partner in this initiative, convinced that the Mediterranean Sea must return to be a basin of coexistence and not a symbol of tragedies and closures “.
Numerous associations, foundations, companies, friends and supporters have joined the initiative, each with its own particular contribution and interpreted the message based on its mission or personal and human point of view. Whether donating scholarships, disseminating the call for participants, or sharing their educational programs.
Some participants of the B&W project – Black & White, the migrants’ trend, curated by Caterina Pecchioli and organized by Nation25, will take part in the workshop. UNESCO Youth Association as well as System Professional, a hair brand of the Coty Italia joined the initiative, contributing respectively through their network and the donation of scholarships.
The call for participation for AtWork Venice workshop is extended until August 20th.
Participate, spread and get ready to wave your flag, your South!
Claude Bunny Massassa is a contemporary artist from Gabon. She created Bunny Studio in 2016, a start-up dedicated to photography production, which became DWABI Studio in 2021. As an artist, she has represented Gabon in many international exhibitions in Senegal, Uganda, France, the United States, and Italy. In her art, she denounces social stigmas around issues of identity and mental health, and explores themes of traditions and myths.
Executive Director Kimberly Aceves- Iñiguez has been passionately committed for over 20 years to social justice organizing and advocacy efforts that bring voice and power to youth, LGBTQ people, people of color, and working-class communities in the Bay Area. Before coming on as the Executive Director for RYSE, Kimberly served as the Executive Director for Youth Together, the founding organization of the RYSE Center.
Kanwarpal Dhaliwal is one of the co-founders of RYSE and currently acts as the Associate Director. She supports and guides the implementation and integration of healing-centered practices, grounded in racial justice and liberation, and also develops, promotes, and advocates for policies, investments, practices, and research that enliven healing, justice, and liberation. Kanwarpal believes that the purpose of her work and life is to contribute to movements, communities, and legacies of liberation that honor the ancestors who fought for her existence and survival, and to forge a world that is just and gentle for future generations.
Sagal Ali is the founder and executive director of SAF. After a few years in her career in heritage protection in the cultural sector, she decided to develop the initiative to directly support young creatives in Somalia by launching her own foundation. She hopes to bridge the social gaps and inequalities women face in Somalia, both in society and in the arts scene.
Co-founders Catherine Dunga and Marleen Palmaers created Kitambo to bridge the gap between the African diaspora in Colombia and the narratives from the continent. From Kinshasa and Antwerp respectively, they work to connect African artists from the continent and their peers from the Colombian diaspora.
Martha Kazungu is a curator, art Historian and Founder of Njabala Foundation, an organization that curates periodic exhibitions and organizes a public program of activities to create a safe space for female artists to thrive and blossom.
Alicia Hansen is a photographer and teacher from New York. She founded NYC SALT in 2008 and, beyond teaching valuable creative skills to her students, has developed a long-term support system to uplift them through school and into their early artistic careers.
