Art in memory 11

The International Biennial of Contemporary Art Arte in Memoria (Art in Memory), conceived and curated by the critic and art historian Adachiara Zevi and organized by the Arte in Memoria Cultural Association, this year is hosted in the ruins of the oldest synagogue in the West dating back to I sec. A.D., which is located within the archaeological area of Ostia Antica.

The exhibition, now in its eleventh edition, was conceived to recall the story of the Synagogue of Stommeln, in the province of Cologne, which survived Nazism where, from 1990 until today, every year an artist is invited to create a new and original work specifically for the occasion. In this sense Arte in memoria involves the community of artists in order to transform a place of worship into a place of culture, referring to the history of a recent past, rooted however in the present. In fact, the project is based on the link between memory and contemporary art, so that it can involve ever wider sections of the population and translate into an ethical and cultural testimony based on respect, tolerance and civil coexistence.

The exhibition is accompanied by a volume containing critical essays by historians, art historians and sociologists on the relationship between art, architecture and memory and retraces the history of the ten previous editions documenting the works of the 50 artists who participated in them.

Photo credits: courtesy of the Archaeological Park of  Ostia Antica