European narcissism celebrates the dimension of travel and departure as a starting point for a catharsis that is not only physical, but above all existential, and that changes the individual by increasing cognition of self and the world. In Western culture, travel is a means of confronting the unknown and fears (often provoking transformation); the literary tradition is replete with examples that have shaped our knowledge and perception. But it is necessary to realize how much the theme of “travel” in today’s times is linked to the dimension of migratory flows, an issue that is always topical and discussed, which art must address in a direct way in order to bring out the difficulties in this way. This same culture, however, how does it deal with the phenomena of migration? Does the romantic vision of travel consider the harsh conditions and harsh reality of forced migration?
Mosa One, “Departures / مغادرون”, installation view at spazioSERRA, courtesy the artist and spazioSERRA, Milano
These are the questions and goals of the artistic practice of Mosa One (Rome, 1997), who with the exhibition “Departures / مغادرون” advances his exploration of transience, exile and transformation through the macro-recipient such as travel. Curated by spazioSERRA, it is part of the schedule of suMISURA, the exhibition program featuring site-specific projects by selected artists that analyze the characteristics of the newsstand at Lancetti station in Milan. The solo show reveals how movement and permanence are intertwined, raising reflections on public space, transformation and barriers.
Mosa One, “Departures / مغادرون”, installation view at spazioSERRA, courtesy the artist and spazioSERRA, Milano
The exhibition integrates with the space and the architecture itself; the constant flow of people – of travelers – at the train loop station offers the installation the opportunity to expand the theme to the habitat and the surrounding public. The artist made a series of canvases in different fabrics (depicting bodies and people surrounded by phrases and symbols linked to the visual use of travel) that were hung from the ceiling of the newsstand, thus creating an internal path that ranges between faces and sentences. During the opening night Mosa One held a performance, close to street art and mural practices, in which he decorated the walls of a transparent box in the middle of the space with calligraphic motifs and pop symbols on a blue background.
Mosa One, “Departures / مغادرون”, installation view at spazioSERRA, courtesy the artist and spazioSERRA, Milano
The artist exposes and treats the perspectives of refugees and forced mobility, forcing anyone to confront a vision of the journey untethered from the ideal of travel; short-circuiting the typical representation of the individual in search of self-realization and self-discovery, she instead recounts experiences of vulnerability and struggle against time and bureaucracy. His project also speaks of identity and how it is always at risk in contemporary migration; breaking down diversity in order to promote inclusion and mixing. The artist invites dialogue and discovery that is always new and free. The emphasis in “Departures / مغادرون” lies on the absurdity of laws and borders as the main causes of human inequality and injustice. Heavily steeped in contemporary geo-political dynamics, the exhibition is a manifesto against the senselessness of human-constructed borders to demarcate a territory and which isolate and enclose.
Performance by Mosa One, in “Departures / مغادرون”, at spazioSERRA, courtesy the artist and spazioSERRA, Milano
Through symbolism, Mosa One tells the stories of those who are unable to leave and flee in search of opportunities due to administrative and political technicalities; each work exhibited is a metaphor for both the obstacles encountered in migration and the worn-out expectations. “Departures / مغادرون” shifts the focus to each individual pursuing their own hopes and the testimony of those on the run offering a counter-narrative and a multifaceted, three-dimensional and critical perspective of the right – and freedom – to move.
Irene Follador
Info:
Mosa One, “Departures / مغادرون”
cutated by spazioSERRA
Reflexion by Zakaria Aït aka Marocchino
21/11 – 20/12/2024
SpazioSERRA
Stazione Ferroviaria Milano Lancetti
via Maloja 1, Milano
spazioSERRA
is a contemporary art magazine since 1980
NO COMMENT