3D Render: Frontex Statue (Cinema 4D, Vray, After Effects)
Crisis
Video work by Hannes Arvid Andersson.
Commissioned by the Tunisian Pavillion of La Biennale di Venezia - 57th International Art Exhibition, for 'The absence of Paths'.
Italy, 2017
“I didn’t come here of my own accord,
and I can’t leave that way.
and I can’t leave that way.
Whoever brought me here,
will have to take me home.”
will have to take me home.”
Rumi (1207-1273)
The Absence of Paths is Tunisia’s first national pavilion at the Arte Biennale di Venezia since 1958. Technological advancements, increased education, and a burgeoning global economy have facilitated the movement of people across the globe in the past sixty years. But as the world becomes increasingly physically accessible, human migration, in turn, has become increasingly policed, rendering movement absurd.
Divisive rhetoric centered on exclusion, on borders and walls, is worryingly translating into action and is now considered normal.
This recent wave of activity may have found its origin in the inspired actions of one lone Tunisian man, whose self-immolation sparked a ‘Spring’ of protests across the Arab World. The ensuing humanitarian crisis has, in turn, become a limit case that is testing our investment in human rights, if not the terms of our investment in humanity itself. It is the migratory manifestation of this crisis, and the resulting reevaluation of our collective humanity, that is at the heart of the Tunisian national pavilion.
The Absence of Paths is the space between the rhetoric lines of nationalism. It is a vessel for expression on migration, a conversation on the inherent humanness of movement. Our aim is to open a dialogue with individuals around the world, to share a variety of perspectives on migration, and to examine the multitude of ways migration can be conceived.
In an effort to capitalize on the ongoing performance, participants are presented with a further opportunity to migrate, digitally, onto a platform where they will continue to explore The Absence of Paths.
An integral component to the physical pavilion in Venice, the online platform is a democratic space to showcase contributors’ thoughts and perspectives on migration. From doctors to astronauts, visual artists to chefs, political analysts to NGO workers, you will find a collection of audio, video, text, photographs, and recipes that explore the concept of migration.
