57° Biennale Padiglione Padiglione tunisino

The Absence of Paths

An Interactive Performance during the Preview of the 57th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia

Preview Days May 10-12
Open to the Public May 13 - November 26, 2017

“I didn’t come here of my own accord, and I can’t leave that way. Whoever brought me here, will have to take me home.”
Rumi (1207-73)

The Absence of Paths, Tunisia’s first national pavilion since 1958, challenges the contemporary political order through an interactive performance that inspire further inquiry into issues surrounding human migration.
Curated by Lina Lazaar and commissioned by The Presidency of the Tunisian Republic and the Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the exhibition uses performance and installation staged at different venues across Venice. Manned by collaborating individuals with firsthand experience on migration, several spaces will issue imitation travel documents to visitors. The venues include a historic outdoor checkpoint used by the navy to control access to the Arsenale, a 19th century municipal kiosk on the crossing of via garibaldi (near the Giardini della Biennale); and a central issuing centre in the Sale d'Armi building inside the Arsenale. The pavilion is largely inspired by Tunisia's use as a migratory launch pad into Europe, and is atypical for a pavilion in its physical manifestation.

The Absence of Paths encourages each spectators to shed the baggage of national identity stifling our collective human consciousness, The debate extends beyond the physical space of Venice, through an interactive online platform (www.theabsenceofpaths.com), which feature text, video, audio, recipes, and photography collected from a wide range of thinkers, and will serve as a meeting point for visitors around the world.

Lina Lazaar, curator, said:
“In first conceiving this project, I was inspired by Pangaea [a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras] and imagined a world connected in the truest sense of the world. How should we deal with our interconnectedness, and during these cyclical periods of separation, remain true to our common heritage? The reminder that we are all only human is the inspiration behind The Absence of Paths, and with some luck will be the panacea participants will take with them, through their avery step. This projects has been the most powerful, yet challenging, component of what is intended to be a waltz between the city of Venice and her many stage actors".

The Absence of Paths marks a continued partnership between the public and private stakeholders in Tunisia's flourishing art community.

Locations

1. Kiosk on the corner of via Garibaldi and Riva dei Sette Martiri, 30122 Venezia
2. Navy checkpoint, Arsenale, Campo della Tana, 30122 Venezia
3. Sale D'Armi, Arsenale, Campo della Tana, 30122 Venezia