Press Release

The archive can be a site of discovery, a space to trace origins and corroborate histories. Often perceived as neutral, the archive is also a place where history and collective memory are canonised. The artists featured in the exhibition rebel against a singular vision of what such histories may be. Rebel Archives addresses debates within feminisms and decolonization that seek to reconfigure what/who mainstream culture should represent.

The artists’ act of reconfiguration extends beyond history and memory, simultaneously challenging the nature-culture divide. In this regard, in 2019 Marco Scotini wrote: ‘what is at stake is not just the opening of the rebel archives of our past [...it is] on the one hand the breaking of gender binaries, and on the other the decentering of the human...’. The works bring to the fore issues of ecology and social injustice that were central to the lives of these artists.

The exhibition spotlights the experimental practices of Mirella Bentivoglio, Anna Bella Geiger, Nedda Guidi, Clemen Parrocchetti and Rosana Paulino. The five artists ask us to reconsider singular cultural tenets handed down to us by Western knowledge systems and to embrace a multiplicity of meanings and subjectivities. One way in which they do so is through the poetic appropriation of materials and sources that are foundational to Western canons, such as ancient Greek or Roman literature, which are reimagined in relation to alternative cultural traditions.

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Installation Views

Selected Works

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Artists Exhibiting

Also Exhibiting at Mendes Wood DM

About the Gallery

Intellectually rigorous, politically active, and highly conceptual, the programme of contemporary art gallery Mendes Wood DM places an emphasis on critical conversation, working to embrace the individuality of each artist while also supporting the discovery of intersections between practices that might initially seem disparate.

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Address
Villa Era, Vigliano Biellese

Giuseppe Rivetti, 53

13856 Vigliano Biellese (BI)

Italy

The Villa and grounds are open in Spring, Summer and Autumn. Please contact us for more information.

(1)
São Paulo Rua Barra Funda 216, 01152 – 000
Mendes Wood DM
Rua Barra Funda 216, 01152 – 000, São Paulo, Brazil
+55 113 081 1735
http://www.mendeswooddm.com

Opening hours
Mon - Fri, 11am - 7pm
Sat, 10am - 5pm
The art world in focus