The Importance of the Others

FEMINIST AND GAY ISSUES - THE IMPORTANCE OF THE OTHERS 

Nicola Ruben Montini invited the Greek artist Olympia Polymeni to show her works in his home/studio Space4828 of Venice. The two artists first met at Central Saint Martin's College in London, where they focused their interest on gender studies, a research area not covered by the academic system in their native Countries, Italy and Greece.

Feminist and gay issues, The Importance of the others is an open studio perceived as dialogue between the works of two artists who defines themselves as gay activist and a feminist artist.

The statement of the exhibition is the margin between the two works in which both artists have resorted to use cinematic references to explicit their research: the videos Sorry (by NRM) and Beware of the Cross (by O.P.).

Part of the performative research of NRM incorporates the language of feminist performance addressing to issues related to homosexuality, in an attempt of re-enacting the subversive intent and searching for the crudity of the radical feminist direct language, with paradoxical results. In her paintings and sculptures Olympia Polymeni does not appear assertive in telling the women’s condition but rather seems to find the screen of formality and tone of blunt aesthetic "more diplomatic" and allusive. In both cases, it problematizes the machismo as a discourse on violence. Subverting a balance of power becomes an exercise in elegance and sometimes shamelessness.

Chiara Trivelli

All works by Olympia Polymeni are Courtesy of Sartorial Contemporary Art Gallery (London).

SPACE 4828

Spazio totale a un mese dalla Biennale. A Venezia inaugura la casa/studio/galleria d’artista Space4828 tra omosessualità e femminismo

Scritto da Redazione | mercoledì, 4 maggio 2011 · 3 commenti 

Olympia Polymeni, Beware of the cross 2011 (still da video)

Il mondo fra quattro mura. Questa l’impressione che si ricava, leggendo la presentazione di Space4828, nuovo eclettico spazio che si inaugura a Venezia poche settimane prima dell’inizio della Biennale. “È la casa/studio del giovane artista italiano Nicola Ruben Montini a Venezia, dove lui come artista, curatore e residente cura mostre, talks e proiezioni di e sull’arte contemporanea”.
Come dire: tutto quel che serve, a portata di mano. Che ora Montini intende condividere, creando “un luogo per la discussione e per la ricerca sull’arte contemporanea, con particolare interesse per trends emergenti da tutto il mondo”. Auguri! Intanto ha a esporre l’artista greca Olympia Polymeni: i due si sono conosciuti nientepopodimenoché al Central Saint Martin’s College di Londra, dove hanno potuto approfondire l’interesse per i gender studies, settore di ricerca non contemplato dal sistema accademico dei loro Paesi d’origine, l’Italia e la Grecia. In programma un open studio sul tema Feminist and gay issues, The importance of the others, pensato come dialogo tra le opere di un artista che si autodefinisce attivista gay e quelle di un’artista femminista.

Inaugurazione: giovedì 5 maggio 2011 – ore 18.30
Cannaregio 4828 – Venezia
http://www.space4828.com/

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