Thinking Beyond
Moving Images for a Post-Pandemic World

Mine is an apocalyptic vision. But if alongside it and the anguish that produces it, there were not also an element of optimism in me, that is, the thought that it is possible to fight against all this, I would simply not be here, among you, talking. 
Pier Paolo Pasolini

The global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted not only the fragility of the human community, but also its extraordinary resilience. During the months we were forced into isolation, our only window to the outside world was often the screen of a digital device. By drastically slowing down the pace of our lives, we turned our gaze towards ourselves, rediscovering values ​​and rituals that we had forgotten. Today, however, we struggle to understand how to set the post-pandemic future on a more sustainable basis, and the sense of disorientation in this transition period still remains very strong. In a society that is increasingly polarized and divided by constant conflicts, it seems even more urgent to overcome the widespread fear and lack of trust that amplifies anxiety and uncertainty.

Thinking Beyond – Moving Images for a Post-Pandemic World intends to celebrate the transformative power of art and the ability of artists to read tragic and traumatic circumstances as generative opportunities. What role can art play in the process of searching for new points of reference? How do artists contribute to the construction of a collective narrative capable of imagining new alliances and alternative models? What reflections are possible and necessary today to investigate reality without giving in to the dominant pessimism? The exhibition features ten films, videos and installations by artists who, often starting from the intimate and personal dimension of their own lives, address some of the fundamental issues of our time such as gender identity, the value of diversity, the dynamics of conflict, the precariousness of existence and the relationship with death.

Thinking Beyond – Moving Images for a Post-Pandemic World is the second in a cycle of exhibitions that began in 2020 with Resisting the Trouble – Moving Images in Times of Crisis. The whole cycle aims to reflect on the ways in which artists relate to the complexity of the present day, going beyond established canons and models and imagining new possible worlds. For this exhibition it was decided to use almost exclusively pre-existing structures and recycled materials that can be reused while minimizing disposal. Today this is an essential choice that goes in the direction of greater sustainability of the exhibition process, both in economic and ecological terms. 

The exhibition brings together the work of ten artists under 35 who participated in the ninth edition of VISIO. European Programme on Artists’ Moving Images, a project promoted and produced by Lo schermo dell’arte. Participants were selected from an international open call, and thus far 127 artists based in Europe have participated in the program. Thinking Beyond – Moving Images for a Post-Pandemic World continues the research path of Lo schermo dell’arte on the artistic practice of artists under 35, which began with six previous exhibitions organized at Manifattura Tabacchi (2020/2021); Palazzo Strozzi (2019 and 2015); Le Murate PAC (2018); Palazzo Medici Riccardi (2017); and Cinema La Compagnia (2016).

Artists: Nelson Bourrec Carter, Alexandre Erre, PHILTH HAUS, Roman Khimei and Yarema Malashchuk, ChongYan Liu, Eleonora Luccarini, Thuy-Han Nguyen-Chi, Eoghan Ryan, VEGA, Janaina Wagner.