On the occasion of the 60th Edition of the Venice Biennale, THE POOL NYC presents Marriage of the Sea (the Rape of Venice), the solo exhibition of Austin Young / Fallen Fruit at Palazzo Cesari Marchesi.
Marriage of the Sea (The Rape of Venice)’ weaves a visual and conceptual narrative about the ancestral bond between La Serenissima and the Adriatic Sea. The exhibition will consist of a new large-scale artwork created for Venice and printed onto fabric wall covering and sheer curtains. “As an artist, I attempt to create a sublime experience that changes how you feel upon entering the room, aiming to share my perceptions through an aesthetic experience.
Austin Young.
The artwork is a celebration of the lagoon, comprising a kaleidoscopic portrait of Venice, a collage of the artist’s original photographs and images culled from archives during visits to the city’s museums, churches and palazzos. A participatory project is programmed at the opening of the exhibition with artist Irene Machetti where everyone is invited to marry the sea.
In the artist’s own words, “For hundreds of years on Ascension Day, a sacrifice was made. A glorious golden ring was thrown into the water that affirmed Venice’s dominion over the Adriatic Sea. The magic of this divine sacrifice was so powerful that it lasted centuries. Amid a dwindling population, the fouling of her canals, increasingly encroaching tides, and the loss of community through short term rentals, it is time to re-invoke this ancient vow: ‘Desponsamus te, mare, in signum veri perpetuique dominii!’ We marry you, sea, as a symbol of true and perpetual dominion!”
Join artist AUSTIN YOUNG and THE POOL NYC for the opening night event on April 18th, artist Irene Machetti will perform a special ceremony where everyone who comes will marry the sea.
Viola Romoli and Luigi Franchin, directors of THE POOL NYC state:
This sublime and immersive art installation represents an allegorical image of Venice seduced by tourism, a city that has sacrificed its cultural capital and environment for greed. A profound exploration for beauty, identity and social norms permeates the artist’s work, giving it a depth and relevance that resonates with audiences around the world.
Austin Young/Fallen Fruit, Marriage of the Sea (the Rape of Venice), April 18th – June 30th, 2024, THE POOL NYC at PALAZZO CESARI MARCHESI, Calle Rombiasio 2539, Campo Santa Maria del Giglio, 30124 Venice
Opening: April 18th from 5 to 10 pm Opening performance: Irene Machetti 6 to 8 pm, Marry the sea Vaporetto: Giglio Technical sponsor: PROMEMORIA
About Austin Young/Fallen Fruit
Austin Young is a multidisciplinary artist whose trademark style interprets a nuanced visual language of beauty, pop culture, art history, folk art, and transgressive underground exuberance. Whether he’s working in photography and video-based modes of performative portraiture, engaging in assertive visibility for Queer culture, or advocating for a community-based resource sharing culture, Young’s interest is in illustrating the sublime qualities of humanity that moves us all forward. @austinyoungforever
Fallen Fruit is an art collaboration originally conceived in 2004 by David Burns, Matias Viegener and Austin Young. Since 2013, David and Austin have continued the collaborative work. Much of the work they create is linked to ideas of place and generational knowledge, and it echoes a sense of connectedness with something very primal – our capacity to share the world with others. Recent permanent artworks and museum exhibitions include Chiotro del Bramante in Rome, Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, Orto Botanico in Palermo, V&A in London, LACMA in Los Angeles, Manifesta 12 in Palermo, NGV Triennial in Melbourne, and more. @fallen_fruit
About Irene Machetti & In Signum Veri Amoris
Irene Machetti, participatory performance in three acts, 2024- In dialogue with the artwork Sposalizio del Mare (Il ratto di Venezia) / Marriage of the Sea (The Rape of Venice) by Austin Young / Fallen Fruit, the artist Irene Machetti presents the ritual In Signum Veri Amoris, a token of the ancient Venetian ceremony of the Marriage of the Sea.
The title recalls the formula the Doge – the highest official of the Republic of the Serenissima– would pronounce on the occasion of the symbolic marriage between Venice and the sea: ‘Desponsamus te, Mare, in signum veri perpetuique dominii’ (We marry you, Sea, in sign of our truthful and eternal dominion over you). This union, born from the desire of the Serenissima to ostentatiously display its power and its dominion over the waters, is in stark contrast with the current need to develop a sustainable coexistence between the city and its ecosystem.
To create this type of bond it becomes vital to transform the concept of dominion into one of protection, into a form of love that does not oppress but rather nurtures. Machetti thus proposes a new marriage with the sea, one made ‘in signum veri amoris’, in the name of love, inviting the public to respect the oath taken during the artistic performance.
Through specific acts and gestures, the artist calls upon the audience to abandon their usual perceptive schemas and to use their body and senses to fully engage in the performance. The ritual symbolically outlines a bridge between the ancient power of Venice, summarised in the decorative splendour of the Bucentaur, and the current state of a city marked by abandonment and a permeating kitsch. The references to the island city, so vividly and poetically described in Austin Young’s imagery, will keep refracting throughout the space, in a continuous game made up of presence and absence, sparkle and decadence: treasure chests of salt will reveal a fragile and porous ecosystem; opulent fragrances will take us far away, in a bygone era that was characterised by preciousness and power; grains of gold will be juxtaposed with transparent, delicate lagoon veils.
The performance will be activated by metaphorical and actual references to the colours and flavours of Venice: A journey through the history of the city evoked by distant and flamboyant ingredients and hints to the sea and the lagoon flowers. This ceremony will be marked by an olfactory journey, specifically crafted by Franco Profumiere Venezia. Starting from a fresh, marine scent, the last act will conclude
with the rich perfumes coming from the Far East: a cultural horizon with which the Serenissima has woven solid and profitable ties.
Of particular relevance will be the gestures, which the artist has reconstructed starting from Western wedding ceremonies, a new viaticum to accompany visitors within a unique emotional experience, but with a strong territorial bond. Technical sponsor: Franco Profumiere Venezia. @nene_______
About The Pool NYC
THE POOL NYC is a contemporary art gallery founded in New York in 2009, specializing in modern and contemporary artists and Murano glass. In November 2017 THE POOL NYC opened a permanent home in Palazzo Fagnani Ronzoni in Milan. On the occasion of the Venice Biennale, the gallery organizes a major art exhibition in the lagoon. The gallery stands out for its search for innovative artistic expressions and the rediscovery of artists fundamental to the History of the 20th century. THE POOL NYC is committed to offer an inclusive and diverse platform, welcoming a wide range of artistic mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography and installations. With a focus on experimentation and critical reflection, the gallery promotes meaningful dialogues on contemporary issues through art. @thepoolnyc
