Archive of Desire at Palazzo Grassi in Venice
“Archive of Desire” travels from New York to Venice. The exaltation of desire by Robin Coste Lewis, Julie Mehretu, Vijay Iyer, and Jeffrey Zeigler was presented at Teatrino di Palazzo Grassi in Venice, inviting guests to dive deep into Cavafy’s world.
Photo: Ph. Matteo De Fina
“Dear Mr. Cavafy, […] How your voice was always made of deep blue ink and how often you reminded us. How often you reminded us, the only true barbarians are the ones raging in silence inside of our own minds. And they do not give a damn whether we wait for them or not.”
The performance “Archive of Desire” was commissioned by the Onassis Foundation as part of the titular festival inspired by the modern Greek poet C. P. Cavafy and premiered at National Sawdust in New York City on May 3 and 4, 2023. Almost a year later, as part of the public program of Julie Mehretu’s exhibition “Ensemble,” Palazzo Grassi is pleased to host the Italian premiere of this performance, produced by VisionIntoArt with the participation of the Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, Paris, and Los Angeles, and the Onassis Foundation.For how many millennia exactly has our species chosen not to kiss land instead of ecstasy?
Drawing inspiration from Cavafy’s archive, Archive of Desire features Julie Mehretu together with Robin Coste Lewis, Vijay Iyer, and Jeffrey Zeigler, originally directed by Charlotte Brathwaite in a multidisciplinary project combining music, poetry, and visual art. The performance is an exaltation of desire, reflecting on the sensuality of Cavafy, diaspora, and the liminal spaces present everywhere in his work.
Photo: Ph. Matteo De Fina
Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana aims to share the extraordinary Pinault Collection with the public and to support contemporary artistic production. The museum presents thematic exhibitions based on works from the Pinault Collection alternately with monographic shows by major contemporary artists. A policy of inclusion and accessibility is applied to all services and initiatives, which are designed for all typologies of the public, and a calendar of cultural events enables Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana to reach an ever wider public. The addition of the Teatrino in 2013, an auditorium designed by architect Tadao Ando, has reinforced the institution’s commitment to establishing a dialogue with the public and encouraging knowledge by hosting a wide range events that aim at complementing the exhibitions organized at Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana, as well as exploring a large variety of artistic forms. In eleven years, the Teatrino has become one of the most dynamic actors on the Venetian cultural scene: over 100 conferences, screenings, concerts, and performances are held annually. Most of the events presented at the Teatrino are free and organized by Palazzo Grassi, often in collaboration with international, national, and local partners.