Image: Lawrence Weiner
Museum Exhibitions

Lawrence Weiner ATTACHED TO EBB AND FLOW

28 June—22 September 2019
Museo Nivola, Sardinia

The Museo Nivola presents the first exhibition of Lawrence Weiner in Sardinia. 

ATTACHED BY EBB AND FLOW references the action of the oceans' tides on the shore, relating to Costantino Nivola's experience of exile and relocation and to the island of Sardinia and that would include the migrant crisis and its attendant human destiny. Complete freedom of interpretation is offered to the viewer—any other way to present the work would be considered a "fascistic" imposition by the artist. 

"The installation," says Antonella Camarda, director of the museum and co-curator of the show, "is thus resonating with the context of the museum and the island, but not tied to it. Against the obsession for site-specificity that runs through many contemporary art practices, Weiner's work tends to be universal in its appeal to human reason and feelings. A wall is a wall, whether in Orani or New York, as much as it is the structure that allows for the presentation of the work.” 

On the walls of the exhibition pavilion—a 19th century building which was once the public wash-house of the village of Orani—Weiner's work is reiterated, connotating the space and suggesting the continuous movement of water (or the repetitive movements of the women doing laundry). 

American English, Italian, and Sardu spell the same sentence using different words and verbal constructs. The translation from one language to another and the simultaneous presentation of the three options meet the public's needs for understanding, root the work in its specific context, and open more possibilities to read and interpret the work. 

 

Museo Nivola
Via Gonare, 2
Orani, Sardinia, Italy

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