Lund, Sweden – February 23, 2019
Dear friend
There’s a lot of positive energy on Silk Road – on the Silk Peace Art Road (SPAR) …
I’m walking down it with many friends and helpers in China and here in Europe. We’re moving towards Palazzo Mora in Venice where I’ll be one of 170 artists from around the world at the “Personal Structures – Open Borders” exhibition from May 11 to November 24.
Having been invited by the European Cultural Centre to exhibit in the context of the Venice Art Biennale – a world-leading venue for contemporary art – is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, a self-taught art photographer.
SPAR will be a photo-based, multi-media installation: photocollages and collected artefacts on four painted plywood panels (250 x 100 cm) resting on low podiums wrapped in silk and other fabrics and, on top of each, smaller outward-leaning, framed images modelled upon what the Chinese call “paibians.”
The Road is the metaphor and the four panels illustrate the world order change happening now: the decline and warfare of the Western world, to the left, and the rise of China/East, including its amazing development since 1978, to the right. Artful photos from Aleppo in Syria, Venice, Iran, Myanmar, Somaliland, Kazakhstan, China 1983 and 2018.
On a smaller adjacent wall, you’ll find the beautiful SPAR calligraphy (above) that my friend in Xian, Wang Chang Ling, has created especially for me plus a series of videos I’ve shot during my travels as well as QR codes for information and reference.
It will be in a fine, intimate room on the second floor in Palazzo Mora, actually where Yoko Oneshowed her “Mirror Image” installation in 2017 – as if this room is devoted to art for peace…
You’re hereby invited to Room # 216 there when you are anyhow going to Venice for this world art event, the Biennale and the hundreds of other art shows all over town.
Until then – follow the project’s development here (texts, photos, videos, sketches etc) and/or on Instagram.
Any galleries out there?
I’m now looking for galleries and other art spaces which would be interested in showing this installation after Venice.
Do you have a preliminary interest or some questions, please contact me.
My best
Jan Oberg