Shirana Shahbazi: Poetry for RevolutionsIstituto Svizzero, Roma, Italy
A collaboration project between Istituto Svizzero (Rome) and Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich).
With: Bassem Saad, Ceylan Öztrük, Guerreiro do Divino Amor, Giorgio Zeno Graf, Industria Indipendente, Ivona Brđanović, Maya Olah, Mathis Pfäffli, Michèle Graf & Selina Grüter, MigrArt/DACZ (Deniz Damla Uz & Niştiman Erdede), Ramaya Tegegne, RM, Sandra Mujinga, Shirana Shahbazi e Ursula Biemann. And a historical showcase with archive material and manifestos by Rivolta Femminile, Le Nemesiache and Anna Oberto.
Curated by Gioia Dal Molin (Istituto Svizzero) and Salome Hohl (Cabaret Voltaire).
Poetry for Revolutions: A Group Show with Manifestos and Proposals is an exhibition project resulting from the collaboration between Istituto Svizzero and Cabaret Voltaire, taking place simultaneously in Rome and Zurich. The exhibition refers to the historical importance and potential of the manifesto as a means of political and artistic expression that challenges dominant power structures.
In this context, artists and writers have conceived contemporary manifestos addressing topical issues, including the ecological crisis, the power of language and current socio-political issues. The manifestos are exhibited both in their original form and as black-and-white copies that visitors can freely take from the display specially created by artist Ceylan Öztrük.
In addition to the manifestos, some of the artists in the exhibition present additional works such as the sculptural works of Ceylan Öztrük, Mathis Pfäffli and Sandra Mujina, the photographs of Shirana Shahbazi, the sound work of Industria Indipendente, the video-installations of Bassem Saad and Ursula Biemann, or the neon-installation by Michèle Graf and Selina Grüter at the main entrance of the Villa.
The show further includes historical manifestos and documents by Rivolta Femminile, the Le Nemesiache collective and the artist Anna Oberto, offering an immersion into the history of Italian feminism in the 1960s and 1970s through the work of movements that played a significant role in redefining female culture and identity in Italy and abroad.
Poetry for Revolutions is the result of an ongoing conversation between curators Gioia Dal Molin and Salome Hohl on the political responsibility of their role within the institutional context. At a time of widespread political, social, and ecological crisis, it is inevitable to ask whether what one does is enough, and one wonders: what is the meaning of a manifesto today? What are the new forms of rebellion in the current era? Or even, what words or thoughts could be seen on the walls of Rome or Zurich today?
