We want to smuggle Venetian artworks across borders and YOUR participation in an exhibition at META FORTE!
TCC is a traveling collection and network, connecting artists transnationally.
TCC is a collection of artworks, digitally printed on silk or saved as digital files, which so far features work from various international artists. With each edition, we introduce new artists to the collection and print one of their works on silk. Two editions took place in Linz, Austria (2018) and Bristol, UK (2019).

We are now coming to Italy digging through Venetian’s creative grounds and waters.

Meta Forte is an independent space located in a suburban area of Venice called Cavallino-Treporti (VE), in the edge of a massive man-made structure called M.O.S.E. and a complex and biodiverse ecosystem; Meta Forte is a place, which is run by an open, heterogeneous and transgenerational community. It provides space for experimentation, dialogue and imagination and regularly hosts art residencies and events.

VENICE EDITION – TOPIC

The Teriaca – a miraculous elixir made with the most unusual and rare ingredients – was thought to be the cure for all evil. Prepared in a bronze vessel, the solution contained a list of 64 ingredients, such as viper meat, opium, myrrh, incense, honey, dried deer testicles and many other strange components. Its preparation – only licenced to a few pharmacists in Venice – took the form of a public ritual highly surveyed by the Pharmacist League (Collegio dei Farmacisti) to inspect its legitimacy. Due to the complexity of the preparation, these public events became mesmerizing spectacles. Beyond the Teriaca’s use as an antidote to cure a long list of physical diseases, from viper bites to insomnia, it was also believed to be the cure for mental and spiritual conditions as well. The unauthorized production and commercialization of the substance had severe punishments, ranging from an expensive fine to even being burnt at the stake. Together we’ll embark on a journey to recreate our own Theriaca. We’ll send selected artists on a quest to find what they believe could be a remedy for the world’s current diseases. Over the course of two weeks we will regularly meet at our partner’s venue Meta Forte. There we’ll curate the existing Contraband-Collection and participate in a series of bonding practices, in order to establish a new artistic community in the territory of Venice and co-create the final exhibition’s program.
Ultimately, you’ll become part of TCC’s underground network and travelling collection.

WHO

The Contraband Collection (TCC) and Meta Forte are looking for local artists, performers, videomakers, stylists, photographers, philosophers or any other creatives. We especially encourage emerging artists, BAME and members of the LQBTQ+ community, working in any artistic discipline to apply! You should be based in Venice area and open to collaborate.

WHEN