A century later, the artist Maix Mayer embarked on his first journey in pursuit of the traces of Leipzig's colonial history, nowadays etched into the landscape of Tanzania. Since then, he visited multiple times and developed close ties to Zanzibar. These journeys have birthed new artistic creations, including narratives exploring the stories of the Non-Aligned collaborations by the German Democratic Republic, more specifically, their support for Zanzibar independence, such as urban development in the form of WBS_70 slab construction dwellings in the capital and the LPG (Agricultural Production Cooperative) model village.
Afronautic Tales, Maix’s work inspired by the cultural practice of cinema narrators, brought the initiators of this project together to probe what a Transnational pavilion could entail. Widespread since the 1990s, the cinema narrators employ free-styling speech and act as guides through original films. Embracing local realities and processes of appropriation, they create a new narrative realm bridging word to image, global to local, that dilutes the visual dominance of the films and dismantles the notion of the hegemony of globalized images. This process conveys a subtle form of cultural resistance while offering valuable insights into how we might engage with globalized products and deal with notions of borderlessness.
Drawing inspiration from Zanzibari perspectives, we went on to identify other carriers of cultural identity, vehicles of resistance, and conduits for creative expression and communication that transcend geographical or political borders while also debating the reasons why so many countries remain missing from the Biennale, and how this could be changed. At the 2022 Biennale, there were 80 national pavilions, but a small percentage were from the Global South and less than 10% were from from the African Continent. We undoubtedly recognize the diverse reasons for this: from steep costs for participation to the limited contemporary art production in some nations; the lack of an art ecosystem (art schools, galleries, museums, etc.) within certain countries; and general bureaucratic or political obstacles. However, these challenges also present an opportunity to explore transnational collaborations and redefine the concept of representation. By acknowledging the narratives woven by grassroots cultural agents, we can bridge continents, fostering a more inclusive and diverse artistic dialogue at platforms like the Biennale.
Embracing transnational perspectives not only enriches the cultural fabric of such events but also offers a pathway towards dismantling the dominance of the global north in the artistic discourse. Anchoring our inquiries into the residues of this ethos, the art project JAMBO VENICE: A NEW KIND OF PAVILION? explores new perspectives to prompt these questions:
- Is a national pavilion still a relevant concept?
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Who defines the nationality in contemporary art?
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How can one partake in the Biennale without a national pavilion?
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How can art unite people across different nations?
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Is the engagement of non-state actors (transnational) an alternative?
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Are transnational and national reconcilable?
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How can Venice redefine its role as a museological venue for globally produced art within the art system?
“Where laundry still hangs, Venetians still dwell.” Can the remaining inhabitants of Venice participate or partake in the Biennale in any capacity?
Facilitated by the cooperation between participants in Venice, Zanzibar, and beyond, Jambo Venice blends elements from diverse cultures and regions to break free from the traditional pavilion structures, creating a dynamic and inclusive project that transcends boundaries.