The Mediterranean Approach

The Mediterranean Sea represents a geopolitical system unique in the world; a meeting point of three continents, Africa, Asia, and Europe. In the west the Strait of Gibraltar connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean. In the northeast the Sea of Marmara, the Dardanelles and the Bosporus link it with the Black Sea. The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea in the southeast. Politically, a crossroad between East and West and economically, between North and South, the Mediterranean area includes several cultural communities and civilizations, different lifestyles and ways of thinking. It is also home to major monotheistic religions.

Mediterranean is much more than a geographical expression, indeed. A complexity of ideas, referring to a crossroads of peoples, languages, birthplace of the Occident and an open door to the Orient, it evokes the legendary horizon of ancient trade routes and conquests.

In our contemporary world where the differences between people seem to prevail, ART for The World believes that the exchange between knowledge and art can be the carrier of a message of friendship and the rediscovery of a deep rooted identity that bind the Mediterranean people.


THE PROJECT

The routes that cross the Mediterranean, belonging once to the merchants, pirates and conquerors, have become today for the artists of this area the routes towards knowledge and creativity.

During the Biennale of Venice 2011, and simultaneously to the exhibitions and pavilions held all over Venice, the first floor, piano nobile, of Palazzo Zenobio, will host the exhibition THE MEDITERRANEAN APPROACH with works by prominent artists and independent filmmakers living and/or working in the Mediterranean area and representing through their works (sculptures, photography, films, video, installations, etc) the priority topics such as exclusions, migrations, environment, climate change’s issues as well as freedom of expression, thought and religion.


The artists and filmmakers:

Ghada Amer (Egypt)

Ziad Antar (Lebanon)

Faouzi Bensaïdi (Morocco)

Marie Bovo (Spain)

David Casini (Italy)

Isaac Julien (UK)

Hüseyin Karabey (Turkey)

Ange Leccia (France)

Adrian Paci (Albania)

Maria Papadimitriou (Greece)

Zineb Sedira (Algeria)

Peter Wuethrich (Switzerland)


THE VENUE

- Venice, Palazzo Zenobio, June-July-August 2011

Built in 1690, Palazzo Zenobio in Venice is a masterpiece of Baroque. On the first floor, the so called Piano Nobile, the trompe l’œil frescos and ceilings are splendid (early Tiepolo) and its overgrown formal garden among Venice’s largest and loveliest. The palace housed for more then two centuries the Armenian college Murat Raphael. Recently it opened its doors to scholars and guests and to art exhibitions during the Biennale of Venice.

THE MEDITERRANEAN APPROCH has the ambition to travel and be exhibited during 2011-2012 in major ports of Mediterranean Sea such as Genoa, Barcelona, as well as on the South Mediterranean ports to end in Marseille in 2013 in the context of Marseille Provence 2013, Cultural Capital of Europe

THE MEDITERRANEAN APPROACH is curated by:
Adelina von Fürstenberg, Founder and President of the NGO
ART for the World, Geneva/Milan
Thierry Ollat, Director of The Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC), Marseille
Anna Daneri, Independent Curator, Genoa.