Ident-alter-ity
Organizing body: 5th Biennale of Contemporary Art of Thessaloniki– State Museum of Contemporary Art
The issue of the gender identity and the right to gender self-determination is once again at stake and should be claimed anew even in societies that it appeared to have been acquired. The concept of otherness, of the strange or the different is inherent within our identity. The strange or the uncanny is part of the self and it is as such that appears at a plethora of theoretical approaches and artistic proposals.
Within the framework of the 5th Biennale of Thessaloniki, the Centre of Contemporary Art of the State Museum of Contemporary Art in collaboration with Action Field Kodra, Thessaloniki Pride and the Municipality of Thessaloniki, raise the issue of ident-alter-ity. Our aim is to detect and present various visual formulations of an issue, which is transformed once again in an arena of conflict in an age which has seen a rise in neo-conservatism, racist, homophobic, lesbiophobic and transphobic behaviors, attacks against women and discrimination based on race, nationality, sexual orientation and gender identity.
An exhibition, a symposium and a music event form the core of the event “Ident-alter-ity”, which is part of the main program of the 5th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art. The Biennale regards the Mediterranean as a zone of crisis facing phenomena of deep social and political turmoil and consisting of countries suffering from financial collapse, religious and territorial disputes, where acquired rights are called into question. Ident-alter-ity is the product of collaboration, fermentation and open consultation. This wide cooperation aims to form bonds between various communities, formal and informal institutions of Thessaloniki and to activate participation by addressing the public space and utilizing volunteers and creative clusters.
This is a collective endeavor and its management complies with the principles of the funding program of Biennale. More specifically, the curating and implementation of the exhibition and the event in general lies with Syrago Tsiara and Thodoris Markoglou, on behalf of the Center for Contemporary Art of the State Museum of Contemporary Art. The curatorial team of Action Field Kodra, consisting of Dimitris Michalaros, Panagis Koutsokostas and Anthi Argyriou, will organize through open call and curate the sub-domain “But Still in One Piece” which will be part of the main exhibition.
Open Call
Ident-alter-ity
// But still in one piece //
How can contemporary art express aspects of gender identity and notions such as desire, aversion, intimacy, alienation, disguise and transformation on the grounds of gender self-determination? Are there taboos and interdictions, social exclusions, stereotypes, discriminations and suppressed or imposed gender performances in our globalized world? In what ways are the above parameters shifting according to the particular social conditions and which is the role of the artistic intervention in featuring multiple expressions of “otherness”, which however is a structural element of ourselves as a whole? On the basis of an open-ended, interdisciplinary approach, how can artists experiment with various fields of knowledge, such as biology, new technologies, social and political sciences, robotics? Starting off from the affirmation that social gender constitutes a compound, multifaceted identity which is expressed through language, appearance, habits and numerous other ways, we are interested in investigating the manifestations of free self-determination on that specific direction.
The exhibition titled Identalterity-But Still in One Piece will feature Greek, Balkan but also international artists. Seeking to approach both artistically and theoretically the above mentioned questions, Action Field Kodra addresses this open call to artists who wish to submit exclusively digital artworks (video or short film of max. duration 10’, photography, net art, animation).
Within the framework of the 5th Biennale of Thessaloniki, the Centre of Contemporary Art of the State Museum of Contemporary Art in collaboration with Action Field Kodra of the Municipality of Kalamaria, Thessaloniki Pride and the Municipality of Thessaloniki, raise the issue of ident-alter-ity. Our aim is to detect and present various visual formulations of an issue, which is transformed once again in an arena of conflict in an age which has seen a rise in neo-conservatism, racist, homophobic, lesbiophobic and transphobic behaviors.
Εγγραφή (registration)
