VITAL 24 videos - 24 artists (24 countries - 43 mi)n

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VITAL

24 videos - 24 artists - 24 countries (45 min)

THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN - Sima Zureikat (Jordan - 1)

ENOUGH - Evgenija Demnievska (Serbia - 2)

RENDEZ-VOUS - Elena Arzuffi (Italy - 3)

INSIDE OUTSIDE - Samirah Alkassim (Palestinian Territories - 4)

WORLD INFOSCAPE - Kamila B. Richter (Czech Republic - 5)

STEPPING - van Breest Smallenburg (Netherlands - 6)

BACK TO WHITE: 98 - Aki Nakazawa (Japan - 7)

THE DOUBT - Véronique Sapin (France / Canada - 8)

LINE - Raquel Kogan and Lea van Steen (Brazil - 9)

FIRMINO’S HOUSE - Ana Bezelga (Portugal - 10)

VITAL - Najmun Nahar (Bangladesh - 11)

WING…WING - Aliaa El-Gready (Egypt - 12)

MURDOCH AT 80 - Esther Johnson (England - 13)

ACQUA VITALE - C. M. Judge (United States of America - 14)

(YOU ARE SO DISTANT) "It would have been wonderful to dance with you" - Dorte Jelstrup (Denmark - 15)

GAIA BREATHING - Sigrun Hardardottir (Iceland - 16)

VITAL, A MODEL TO PAINT - Monica Dower (Mexico - 17)

I WOULD LIKE TO GO OUT OF MY BOX - Verena Schaukal (Germany - 18)

TESTIMONY - Alejandra Delgado (Bolivia - 19)

I WILL MEET YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE - Judith Lava (Austria - 20)

UNTITLED - Carolina Saquel (Chile - 21)

LETTERS FOR GODOT - Minoo Iranpour Mobarakeh (Iran - 22)

BREATHE - Christie Widiarto (Australia - 23)

L-O-V-E - Raya Mazigi (Lebanon - 24)

Concept

It's a truism that existence cannot be reduced to bodily needs. Since the end of the Second World War, in many countries, bodies have been protected from hunger and thirst (thanks to agricultural and technological advances, and trade), from disease (thanks to science and developments in the healthcare system), and from accidents (thanks to laws, rules, and regulations of all kinds). Justice, law, education, and secularism still need to be expanded so that the vital dimensions of life in society can also be forgotten.

Apart from the strength of human feelings, which remains essential, what appears vital now has more to do with satisfying new needs. Our mental health, for example, has become dependent on disruptive micro-events such as power outages, computer breakdowns, the loss of a phone, and internet connection. Our vital needs seem to have increased tenfold since human relationships can be maintained without the physical presence of others. The slow pace of letter exchanges has been replaced, thanks to the internet, by the immediate presence of the image and sound of our interlocutors, wherever they are. Thus, the bare minimum for survival in society is more than ever linked to the ability to communicate with others. The social dimension seems to have taken precedence over the living. We are witnessing the reorganization of all our lifestyles: our way of informing ourselves, entertaining ourselves, working, and choosing our privacy.

However, just when we thought it was definitively secure, the satisfaction of our bodily needs has abruptly resurfaced, threatened by the ongoing ecological upheaval. Weighed down by uncertainties about the global economy, we find ourselves collectively experiencing contradictory emotions, as what is vital to us now seems vulnerable.

Thus carried, the theme of this video composition—Vital—vast and fundamental, invited the artists to question, from the universal to the intimate, what humanity cannot do without. Through their works, they highlight the complexity and richness of our experience of the world. Their exploration of the theme is presented from points of view corresponding to three main guidelines, like so many non-watertight axes that intersect and challenge one another, thus offering a polyphonic vision of what makes sense in our lives.

The Big Questions

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Maya Angelou (1928-2014) - Writer, Poet, Activist

The artists invite us to reflect on the fundamental aspects of existence. Their video works are pervaded by questions about the vital forces that drive us, or the physical and emotional connections that unite us with nature. They seek to capture the raw energy that pulses through the living or attempt to capture the evanescent essence of time.

RENDEZ-VOUS - Elena Arzuffi (Italy - 3)

WING…WING - Aliaa El-Gready (Egypt - 12)

ACQUA VITALE - C. M. Judge (United States of America - 14)

GAIA BREATHING - Sigrun Hardardottir (Iceland - 16)

VITAL, A MODEL TO PAINT - Monica Dower (Mexico - 17)

UNTITLED - Carolina Saquel (Chile - 21)

BREATHE - Christie Widiarto (Australia - 23)

Between Consciousness and Revolt

There is a great benefit in becoming aware of one's oppressed situation: it is the first step towards liberation.

Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) - Philosopher, Writer

Art nourishes our ability to analyze and develop our own opinions on the complexities of the world. It offers alternative perspectives, different points of view from those presented by dominant discourses. What is vital for artists is also the urgent need to reflect on social and political realities. Their video works confront us with the reality of inequality and the challenges of our time. They also encourage us to refine our critical thinking, a skill that is more necessary than ever.

ENOUGH - Evgenija Demnievska (Serbia - 2)

WORLD INFOSCAPE - Kamila B. Richter (Czech Republic - 5)

THE DOUBT - Véronique Sapin (France / Canada - 8)

LINE - Raquel Kogan and Lea van Steen (Brazil - 9)

FIRMINO’S HOUSE - Ana Bezelga (Portugal - 10)

MURDOCH AT 80 - Esther Johnson (England - 13)

I WOULD LIKE TO GO OUT OF MY BOX - Verena Schaukal (Germany - 18)

LETTERS FOR GODOT - Minoo Iranpour Mobarakeh (Iran - 22)

The Sanctuary of Being

My Body is My Memory

Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) - Artist

Intimacy is a privileged space where we can journey to the heart of ourselves. Because the body is the first place of self-experience, the video works explore the boundary between the private and the public, when it is necessary to keep the body hidden from view, or, conversely, to confront it with the outside world.

THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN - Sima Zureikat (Jordan - 1)

INSIDE OUTSIDE - Samirah Alkassim (Palestinian Territories - 4)

VITAL - Najmun Nahar (Bangladesh - 11)

TESTIMONY - Alejandra Delgado (Bolivia - 19)

Love is a vital force that transcends us. The video works bear witness to this unbreakable bond across time and generations.

STEPPING - van Breest Smallenburg (Netherlands - 6)

BACK TO WHITE: 98 - Aki Nakazawa (Japan - 7)

(YOU ARE SO DISTANT) "It would have been wonderful to dance with you" - Dorte Jelstrup (Denmark - 15)

I WILL MEET YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE - Judith Lava (Austria - 20)

L-O-V-E - Raya Mazigi (Lebanon - 24)

TEASER