The Brazilian César Meneghetti at the Kenyan Pavilion in the 55th Biennale di Venezia

At the Venice Biennale, César Meneghetti will present his new works that survey the boundary of "normality" through a relational process and contemporary devices. The Island of San Servolo was selected for this project, which has involved over 200 individuals with mental disabilities for three years at the Sant'Egidio Laboratori d'Arte in Rome, because from 1725 to 1978 it had been the venue of one of the largest insane asylums of the Veneto region.

Starting from the fringe area, Meneghetti accepted the risk of a process open to the unpredictability of the encounter, thus affirming his nomadic approach and his interest in global issues (KLab/ Niger, 2007; ThisOrient/ Vietnam, 2009). The artist ventured in the pursuit of another, neither geographic nor cultural, boundary: he accepted the challenge of accepting the possibility of change, thus revealing even to himself an inner boundary. “I/O _IO È UN ALTRO” is a trans-national and inclusive project that marks a significant phase in the elimination of bias, even within the art system.

Meneghetti's work transforms the disabled (and non disabled) individuals involved in the process and the artist himself. It questions anybody and anything by leading subjects and objects to switch roles. In this new boundary area a freed reciprocity emerges where the right of expression, the right to look is affirmed. Guided by a principle of truth, the work embarks on a road that is unforeseen and unplanned except for the structure and the media used - video, photography and performance.

César Meneghetti's work tries to look where nothing can be imagined to be found, not even thought: through his work, the voices of people we are not used to hear can finally be heard. Their words and thoughts emerge again and urge us to stop, to refrain from walking away. The project received an award from the São Paulo Biennial Foundation (2010) in the second edition of the PROGRAMA BRASIL ARTE CONTEMPORÂNEA, MINC – MINISTÉRIO DA CULTURA. It was selected for the BIENNALE SESSION of the 54th INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION- LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA. In 2012 it was awarded the GLOBO TRICOLORE (prize for Italian excellence in the world). www.ioeunaltro.org

.........................................

César Meneghetti (São Paulo, 1964) is a visual artist and film-maker, he has presented his works in over 40 countries. He was selected for the Venice Biennial Special Event Pavilion IILA (2005), the Adriatic Biennial (2006), the La Paz Biennial (2007), the Brussels Biennial (2007), the Sharjah Biennial (2011), the Cerveira Biennial (2011), and the Tio Ilar, Athens Biennials (2011 and 2012). His solo and group exhibitions include: MIS - Museu da Imagem e do Som de São Paulo (2010), Macro - Museo d’Arte Contemporanea in Rome (1996, 2005 and 2011) and MLAC Museo Laboratorio d’Arte Contemporanea in Rome (2006, 2008 and 2011). He received several awards: Premio FUNARTE de Arte Contemporânea 2011, Prêmio Brasil Arte Contemporânea da Fundação Bienal de São Paulo (2010), best work award at the IV Inter-American Biennial of Video Art in Washington (2009), Nastro d’Argento 1996 and 2004 (SNCCI) and Premio Petrobrás Cultural, Brazil (2002 and 2006). His film and video works have been presented at several international festivals: Locarno (1998 and 2002), São Paulo (Videobrasil 2001, 2003 and 2007, and Mostra Internacional de São Paulo 2008), FIC Brasília (2005) Festival di Rio de Janeiro (2010), Festival de Nuevo Cinema in Havana (2003) and 69th Venice Film Festival (Giornata degli Autori, 2012). In 2007, a new phase of his career started with K_lab (mixed media, Niger, 2008) when his research embraced the visual arts, cinema and mixed media along with relational art, followed by the projects thisorient (2011) and I\O _IO È UN ALTRO, featured at the 55th International Art Exhibition-la Biennale di Venezia, Pavilion of Kenya. www.cesarmeneghetti.net