VENEZIA SAVED. A HOMAGE TO SIMONE WEIL
Venice, Magazzini del Sale, June 7 – September 20 2009-05-07
A side event of the 53° Venice Biennal Exhibition

Wednesday June 3, at 6.30 p.m., Luana Zanella, the town councillor for the Cultural Production of Venice, will inaugurate the exhibition VENEZIA SAVED. A TRIBUTE TO SIMONE WEIL at the ‘sede no. 4’ of the Magazzini del Sale (Punta della Dogana, Venice).
The exhibition has been organized by Vittoria Surian with the collaboration of Stefano Cecchetto, Lidia Panzeri e Carla Turola to celebrate the centenary of the birth of the French philosopher Simone Weil (1909 – 1943).
In the exhibition there will be show new works by the following artists: Carol Rama, Maria Lai, Lidia Puglioli, Mirella Bentivoglio, Carla Accardi, Sara Campesan, Ida Barbarigo, Anna Torelli, Valentina Berardinone, Elisa Montessori, Gabriella Benedini, Giosetta Fioroni, Lucia Marcucci, Irma Blank, Renata Boero, Amalia Del Ponte, Cloti Ricciardi, Fausta Squatriti, Chiara Diamantini, Paola Gandolfi, Lucilla Catania, Marilena Sassi, Maria Bernardone, Liliana Moro, Monica Bonvicini, Sara Rossi.
Most female artists that have participated in previous Venice Biennals have been invited to contribute to the present exhibition in order to provide a wide range collection of works that would be representative of the Italian female creativity in the past 60 years.
Each artist was asked to make a new ‘cahier-work’ inspired by Weil’s tragedy ‘Venice saved’ in which the theme of the beauty, a central topic in Weil’s thought, has a cathartic value. The main story told in Venice saved is about a failed coup organized in the 17th century against the Doge of Venice. If successful, such coup would have implied the destruction of the city, but the coup failed because the leader of the conspirators, Jaffier, suddenly saw the beauty of Venice, decided to denounce the conspiracy to the Council of the Ten and, by doing so, saved the city.
In the making of the various artist’s book, the ancient problem regarding the relationship between words and images was tackled by using sophisticated techniques and by the original artistic productions provided by the protagonists of this fascinating visual adventure. The work of each artist, constantly increasing, is also characterized by the ability to relate in a constructive way with the most stimulating challenges coming from the international art scene. Within the boundaries of the narrow framework provided by the cahier-book format, the creative world of the artists reveals the performance of a motion that does not induce dispersion, but rather concentration, and at the same time reveals all the beauty of their artistic artefacts. The best way to pay homage to Simon Weil.
The exhibition is organized by the Culture Associations Eidos and Cicero Events in collaboration with the Assessorato alla Produzione Culturale del Comune di Venezia, local authority for arts and entertaining department, and is one of the Side Events of the 53° Venice Biennal Art Exhibition.

Title of the exhibition: VENEZIA SALVA. OMAGGIO A SIMONE WEIL
(VENEZIA SAVED. A HOMAGE TO SIMONE WEIL)

Place: Magazzini del Sale (Public boat lines 1-51-52-2, Zattere or Salute stops).

Opening hours: …. - …..
Main organizer: Vittoria Surian - Associazione Culturale Eidos Venezia
Other organizers: Stefano Cecchetto, Lidia Panzeri, and Carla Turala -
Associazione Culturale Cicero Eventi

Inauguration day: June 3, 2009, 6.30 p.m.

Patronage: Comune di Venezia, Assessorato alla Produzione Culturale

Collaborators: ANISA Venezia (Ass. Naz. Insegnanti Storia dell’Arte)
Associazione Culturale Leggere Donna - Tufani
Centro Culturale Candiani - Mestre

Main Sponsors: Editrice Eidos – Mirano (VE)
Cartiere Fedrigoni - Verona
Adriano Parise editore-stampatore – Colognola (VR)

Sponsorships also from: Associazione Culturale Italo Francese ACIF/Alliance Française

Information e contacts: HYPERLINK "http://www.editrice-eidos.com"www.editrice-eidos.com