ALARUM!

Europe is going towards the election of its Parliament in a month, and the growth of nationalist, xenophobic and repressive parties across countries threatens to shake the whole concept of European Union. Exploiting the fear of the Other and of any forms of diversity, these parties contribute in dividing us, putting people against each other. However, we believe that fear can be fought through collaboration and a collective reflection on how to address what worries us. Working with photography and visual arts often leads to question the role of images in shaping the contemporary society. How can images contribute to the creation and visibility of counter narratives? And can these image based counter narratives efficiently go against current nationalist narratives? What are the limits of the power of images?

Fear is often associated to something negative, an unpleasant emotion. However, this feeling can be a very useful signal which alerts us that something is wrong. We fear what could hurt us, what threatens our identity or what could endanger our very own existence. Whilst fear can be a powerful tool which can be used to manipulate, it can also provide an occasion to bring people together to face a compelling danger. We would like to develop the concept of “fear” as something constructive, a signal that something of our time needs to be changed. The word Alarum is the old spelling of the English word alarm, signifying a signal or warning for an incoming danger and a call to arms to face it.

Artists in show Philip Arneill, Riccardo Banfi, Chase Barnes, Lewis Bush, Christine Carr, Magali Duzant, Anne Erhard, Raisa Galofre, Céline Gobillard, Vardit Goldner, Elena Helfrecht, Hannes Jung, Gena Kagermanov, Lei Wenqingao, Milla Lewis, Mire Nimmegeers & Eri Vanluchene, Martha Ormiston, Alice Palchetti, Al Palmer, James Parkin, Iacopo Pasqui, Bärbel Praun, Weronika Perlowska, Alexandra Soldatova, Hiro Tanaka, Ana Zibelnik.

Curators: Michele Amaglio and Dimitri D’ippolito, Ardesia Projects.