Venice Biennale & Creative Time Summit (2015)
Abstract Nationalism‘s social interventions, visual compositions, flag displays, and musical performances allow the audience to understand other national anthems in their native language for the first time, while their own anthem becomes incomprehensible. For those speaking several languages, or having strong associations with more than one anthem, the experience is even more layered and representative of today’s cultural pluralism. These works incorporate a classical voice recital, yet placing it with the paradoxical establishment of anti-art. The recital is not simply intended to be ‘musical’ but is rather nurtured by the experimental attitude of avant-garde groups from various decades and regions, as well as their conceptually structured approaches. Channeling the intense emotional and cultural associations we have towards anthems, the premiere performance of these compositions at The Phillips will also invite discussions around the notions of independence, colonialism, (multi)nationalism, migrations, and mapping, all so deeply related to the history of nations and cultures. Other works in the series include video, visual scores, paintings, and various media associated with socially engaged art.
