Over a week into the residency

Since our arrival over a week ago, we have widely engaged with the area of San Giovanni Valdarno and its surroundings. Our initial aim was to research the area and based on gained knowledge develop an exhibition project that will react to, and further scrutinize selected subject(s). Although we have been given great assistance by people involved with Casa Masaccio, with only two and half weeks to the opening of the exhibition we feel that our initial goal to capture and fully understand the complexities of the location, its history, gradual development and most importantly its people, at this point becomes merely impossible.
Our aim is to present an honest project, with works that will someone communicate with the local audience, rather than follow our initial plan. We want to avoid superficial gestures that would most probably result in works aiming to be engaged, yet empty and possibly arrogant on the inside. For this reason the artist as a social worker has been transformed to the observer, who formulates comments rather than ultimate and reductive conclusions. I believe than even small gestures may lead to grand narratives and result in probable change.
So far we would like to touch up on subjects of urban planning, local modes of socializing and thus the sense for communal behavior. I as curator am particularly interested in the subject of agriculture and its relation to the self-sufficiency of the region and its close relation to the local viewpoint on nuclear power, possibly also leading to the communal mentioned above. Last but not least is our interest in the space of the Casa Masaccio gallery, which with the beginning of the exhibition will open to the public, but not only on a physical but also on a psychological level.

Marketa