post-colonial frames: italy in africa

IoDeposito is an Italian NGO that works internationally to enhance contemporary art, and, through contemporary art, in favor of a better understanding of the present. As part of the Post-Colonial Frames project, we are selecting contemporary African artists (and African artists who diasporate in Europe) for residencies and for the participation in an exhibition, which will be held in Italy, in the FVG Region.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES | PROJECT GOALS

1. By highlighting historical cause-effect links, helping the new generations who populate the area, families and citizens to reflect on the implications of historical events in reference to the contemporary. On the one hand, the process of geographical re-writing represents a still fresh experience in the area of ​​our region, on the other, there is a non-negligible connection with the similar African experience: arrivals from the "Balkan Route" are still huge, the births of children with immigrant parents are increasing in the region ( Ulysses survey ), and, in a moment of strong humanitarian crisis caused by immigration, the 2023 Demopolis survey on the state of "well-being of children and adolescents in Italy" has put highlighting that as many as 65% of the children of immigrants present in the area do not have Italian citizenship (among these, the majority have African parents): a situation that heralds the increase in identity disagreements.
2. Approaching, through a divergent point of view, the difficult topic of Italian colonialism in Africa and in the world, to date little covered in school textbooks and unfortunately still little debated and researched in Italian universities: practically unknown to the new generations, the process of The removal of our colonialist history has been defined on several occasions by international historiography as a true cultural and historical blind spot .
3. Bringing the history of the 20th century to a broad and non-specialist audience (particularly young people and families, but not only) through the use of contemporary art media. The project practices will constitute an opportunity to reflect, through artistic and participatory works, on the colonial processes of the 20th century and their legacy, developing historical knowledge and cognitive and emotional skills useful for the interpretation of the current situation in a new way:

• Two/three artist residencies (Italian, African and international artists) that become a catalyst for the involvement of citizens in collective research and ethnographies
• Two rounds of educational workshops, sensorial walking activities, counter-cartography and emotional cartography in the border landscape with historians and artists
• A final exhibition and related activities (guided tours, breakfasts with the artists, workshops, digital exhibition, catalogue)

Through highlighting crooked cause-and-effect links, help the new generations populating the area, families and citizens to reflect on the bearing of historical events in reference to the contemporary. On the one hand, the process of geographic re-writing represents experience that is still fresh in the area of our region; on the other hand, there is a not insignificant connection with the similar African experience: there are still large numbers of arrivals from the “Balkan Route,” births of children with immigrant parents are on the rise in the region (Ulysses survey), and, at a time of a strong humanitarian crisis given by immigration, the 2023 Demopolis survey on the state of “the well-being of children and adolescents in Italy” highlighted that as many as 65% of the children of immigrants in the territory are without Italian citizenship (among them, most have African parents): a situation that heralds the rise of identity disagreements.

To approach, through a divergent point of view, the difficult topic of Italian colonialism in Africa and the world, to date little treated by school textbooks and still unfortunately little debated and researched in Italian universities: almost unknown to the new generations, the process of the removal of our colonialist history has been defined on several occasions by international historiography as a real cultural and historical blindspot.

To bring a wide (particularly youth and family audiences, but not only) and non-specialist audience closer to the history of the 20th century through the use of contemporary art media. Project practices will provide an opportunity to reflect, through artistic and participatory works, on the colonial processes of the 1900s and their legacy, developing in a new key historical knowledge and cognitive and emotional skills useful for interpreting the current picture:

– Two/three artist residencies (Italian, African and international artists) to become catalysts for citizenry involvement in collective research and ethnography

– Two rounds of educational workshops, sensorial walking activities, counter-cartography and emotional cartography in the border landscape with historians and artists

– A final exhibition and related activities (guided tours, breakfasts with artists, workshops, digital exhibition, catalog)