Venice, refugees and asylum seekers will narrate Palazzo Grassi exhibitions

After the success of the first edition, the Palazzo Grassi - Punta della Dogana pole in Venice is launching again this year the cultural mediation project Altri sguardi, aimed at asylum seekers and political refugees from the area. The aim is to offer visitors a fresh look at the current exhibitions at Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana: Henri Cartier-Bresson. Le Grand Jeu, Youssef Nabil. Once Upon a Dream and Untitled, 2020. Three looks at today’s art. Refugees and asylum seekers, after a period of training by Palazzo Grassi staff, will hold special guided tours for the public at Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana.

In 2019 there were nine participants in the Altri Sguardi training workshop who created special free guided tours to discover the exhibition Luc Tuymans. The Skin and the history of architecture at Palazzo Grassi: this year refugees and asylum seekers will be active from October to December 2020 for a new edition of the project.

The call for mediators is open from August 17 to September 14, and to participate one must be at least 18 years old and have a good knowledge of Italian (at least A2 level). More information can be obtained from the Palazzo Grassi website or by emailing education@palazzograssi.it. The selected candidates will follow a training course aimed at enhancing their mediation and storytelling skills, and will also be asked to provide free interpretations of some of the works on display.

The project is part of the broader framework of initiatives dedicated to the theme of migration, launched in 2019 by Palazzo Grassi - Punta della Dogana, including a series of meetings carried out in collaboration with associations and entities working in the field, such as Refugees Welcome Italia and atelier des artistes en exil. Altri Sguardi specifically allowed for the firsthand involvement of asylum seekers and refugees from the Metropolitan City of Venice, who met with the public by relating their own stories to those of the works on display. “Contemporary art, at the center of the cultural activity of the Institution,” reads a note, “becomes the lens through which to stimulate new formulas of knowledge and dialogue starting from individuals and their uniqueness.”

Pictured is a moment from the 2019 edition of Other Looks.

Venice, refugees and asylum seekers will narrate Palazzo Grassi exhibitions

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