Alessandro Valeri. Sepphoris

Collateral Event of the 56th International Art Exhibition - la Biennale di Venezia

Sepphoris 
is 
the 
history 
of
 a 
place, 
which
 becomes 
the 
history
 of
 the 
world,
 and
 of
 how
 art
 can
 do 
somethin g
real 
to
transform 
it.
 This 
is 
the 
history 
of
 Sepphoris, 
a 
project 
originated 
by 
an
 almost
 fortuitous
 trip
 Alessandro
 Valeri
 made
 in
 2011
 to
 the
 orphanage
 of
 Tzippori,
 a
 village
 close
 to
Nazareth, 
in 
Israel:
 a 
special
 place,
 located
 within 
a 
kibbutz,
 but 
in
 an 
area
mainly 
inhabited 
by
 Muslim 
Arabs,
 where 
a 
small
 group 
of
 nuns 
of
 the 
Order
 of 
the 
Daughters 
of 
Saint 
Anne
 manages
 an
 orphanage
 where
 children
 of
 all
 ethnic
 groups
 and
 religions
 are
 taken
 care
 of,
 with
 no
 attempts
 at 
conversion.



During
 his
 visit,
 Valeri
 took
 pictures
 of
 the
 structure
 and
 the
 children,
 trying
 to
 capture
 the
 singularity
 of
 the
 place,
 where
 all
 the
 contradictions
 of
 that
 land
 seemed
 to
 dissolve
 into
 the
 gathering
 of
 a
 simple
 community
 of
 people.
 That
 was
 only
 the
 beginning
 of
 a
 journey
 which,
 in
 years,
 has
 led
 to
 the
 decision
 of
 showing
 the
 platitude
 of
 what
 is
 right,
 or,
 if
 you
 prefer,
 its
 normality,
and 
trying 
to 
make
 a
 direct 
contribution 
to 
the 
improvement
 of 
life
 conditions 
in 
the
 orphanage.





The
 installation
 Sepphoris,
 which
 you
 can
 admire
 in
 the
 interior
 hall
 of
 Molino
 Stucky
 in
 Giudecca, 
is 
the 
result
 of
 the 
will
and
determination 
of 
Valerio
 and
 of
 all 
others 
who 
have 
joined
 him
 in
 supporting
 and
 realizing
 the
 project.
 Fifteen
 canvasses,
 three
 by
 three
 meters
 each,
 hanged
 from
 the
 wooden
 beams,
 spiral
 up
 the
 twenty‐five
 meters
 high
 hall,
 in
 a
 spectacular
 vertigo 
in
 which 
the
 photographic
 images, 
highlighted 
by
 pictorial 
interventions, 
tell 
the 
story 
of
 the
Tzippori
 orphanage.

The
 works
 were
 donated
 to
 the
 orphanage,
 they
 will
 be
 used
 to
 acquire
 basic
 necessities
 and
 renovate 
and 
restore 
parts 
of
the
 building 
in 
which 
it
 operates.

The
 installation
 Sepphoris
 is
 coupled
 by
 a
 film,
 which
 is
 shown
 in
 a
 lateral
 room
 of
 the
 Molino
 hall.

Sepphoris
 is
 accompanied
 by
 a
 bilingual
 catalogue,
 introduced
 by
 a
 text
 by
 the
 curator,
which
contains
the
photographic
documentation
of
the
artworks
and
the
preliminary
drawings,
and
the
 images
of
the
film
backstage,
by
Olivia
Arcangeli.

 

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