{COMISSIONS}
HOW NOT TO FIGHT WITH THE CITY?
Artist in Residence
2018
Producer: Air WRO, Krzysztof Bielaszka
Partners: Culture Zone Wrocław, BLITZ,
European Capital of Culture Valletta 2018, Arts Council Malta.
Exhibition curator: Alexandra Pace, Nicole Bearman
Residential Mentor: Zvezdan Reljic
Partners: Culture Zone Wrocław, BLITZ, European Capital of Culture Valletta 2018, Arts Council Malta.
Exhibition curator: Alexandra Pace, Nicole Bearman
Residential Mentor: Zvezdan Reljic
[Valetta, 15.04.2018]
There had been unusually strong waves in Valletta.
They had fished a drowning man out of the water, his kids were crying on the
seashore. The Valletta/Sliema Ferry has not been sailing either, as the sea is
like the city – you do not fight it. Alternatively, you get to the lifeboat,
drift a little further away so the waves don’t hit you against the rocks, and
then calmly return when the storm has settled.
Let us bide our time in the city
and wait patiently for a good opportunity to ‘live’. The ubiquitous economic
boom, speculative bubble, tourism, and new investments, are hitting us now
against the rocks. Tomorrow, the ferries will be sailing again. [...]
[Valetta, 15.04.2018]
There had been unusually strong waves in Valletta. They had fished a drowning man out of the water, his kids were crying on the seashore. The Valletta/Sliema Ferry has not been sailing either, as the sea is like the city – you do not fight it. Alternatively, you get to the lifeboat, drift a little further away so the waves don’t hit you against the rocks, and then calmly return when the storm has settled. Let us bide our time in the city and wait patiently for a good opportunity to ‘live’. The ubiquitous economic boom, speculative bubble, tourism, and new investments, are hitting us now against the rocks. Tomorrow, the ferries will be sailing again. [...]
Curator’s Note:
Valletta, as a city that has undergone a period
of transformation and identity building following Malta's full independence, is
a certain litmus test of social change and its impact on the public space. In
the artist's opinion, the freedom and short-term planning of the city's
development contribute to the loss of its original character at the expense of
current profits. The changes affect not only the image of Valletta's urban
tissue, but also the local community, the demographic structure and internal
migration.
Curator’s Note:
Valletta, as a city that has undergone a period of transformation and identity building following Malta's full independence, is a certain litmus test of social change and its impact on the public space. In the artist's opinion, the freedom and short-term planning of the city's development contribute to the loss of its original character at the expense of current profits. The changes affect not only the image of Valletta's urban tissue, but also the local community, the demographic structure and internal migration.
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