Ludovica Carbotta- I come from outside of myself.
A project by OGR Torino for The European Pavilion
What form could a European Pavilion take in an international event? What values should it represent? Could it, like a Venice Biennale pavilion, function as an “embassy,” guaranteeing rights? If so, which ones and to whom?
With I come from outside of myself , Ludovica Carbotta tries to imagine an ideal pavilion: the project, from Nov. 1 to 6 in OGR Turin, does not involve the construction of a stable building, containing people, but of a potential space, which can be “contained,” a fragile, mobile architecture, passing from hand to hand, from country to country.
The artist transforms OGR into the production space of the pavilions, sculptures made from casts and replicated thanks to self-made machines that recycle plastic. In the artist’s will, these objects enjoy an extraterritoriality similar to that of the Biennale pavilions and, like amulets, allow the people who keep them to enjoy protection that transcends the guarantees of a single nation state.
Ludovica Carbotta’s idea stems from the observation of the changeability of European borders and their symbolic and narrative value: they are permeable and allow great freedom of movement to goods and people within, but they fortify themselves to violently exclude those outside, with the tragic consequences that follow.
After the launch phase in OGR, the pavilions will begin to circulate freely, originating other opportunities for debate. On November 17, at The European Pavilion in Rome, the artist will donate four pavilions to as many speakers during a discussion open to the public.
THE EUROPEAN PAVILION
The European Pavilion is the project born from the will of The European Cultural Foundation, together with Fondazione Camargo, Fondazione Kultura Nova and with the support of Fondazione CRT, to question together with numerous European institutions the lack of a European pavilion in major international events.
The European Pavilion is not a physical space, but a network born from the involvement of institutions, artists and activists, a cultural movement that promotes trans-local and trans-national collaborations by stimulating curiosity, interest and creativity across borders, sectors and generations. After the launch phase in OGR, the pavilions will begin to circulate freely originating other opportunities for debate. On Nov. 17, at The European Pavilion in Rome, the artist will donate four pavilions to as many speakers during a discussion open to the public. Sociologist Monica Sassatelli, authors of Against Borders – The Case for Abolition Gracie Mae Bradley and Luke de Noronha, and journalist Nilas Heinskou will participate.
