Marfa Open Italia: Venice II


More Venice #friarjustin with @mayameissner for @marfaopen

On our first day in Venice, we stumbled into a Franciscan church, the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. On our last day we returned, leaving a photo of our Franciscan friar, Justin, in the Madonna’s garden of artificial flowers steps away from the tomb of Titian. (In another mirrored experience, our first night in Venice concluded or began, depending on semantics or subjectivity, when we met an amateur artist named Tiziano with incredible hair and a broken hand).

Marfa Open Italia: Venice I

@mayameissner and I re-installed #friarjustin in another shed, this time in the garden at Associazione Awai in Venice (Biennale-adjacent! Kind of). We performed twice, exchanging strangers’ secrets that ranged from the absurd to incredibly painful.

I can’t yet comprehend everything I gained from this trip! I’m still recovering, but immense thanks to @sephitz/@marfaopen for organizing and Associazione Awai for hosting. more photos later. Better documentation eventually. Included here is an installation shot of works by @leonhelio, @zach_morriss and @hiro.tanaka.7545 in the wonderful buggy hot lizard-filled garden; follow them for more and better pictures of their work. #marfaopen #marfaopenitalia

Marfa Open Italia: Ferrara

Thank you Ferrara and Factory Grisù for a wonderful start to our #friarjustin project!

Last night @mayameissner and I had our first performance experience, facilitating an exchange of secrets between strangers. Our visitors wrote their secret on the back of a photograph, receiving in return the secret of a stranger to carry with them. These secrets were written in English, Italian, German, and Albanian, by children, by adults, by the elderly.

Friar Justin’s life, as it exists in the photographic keepsake evidence that we found in garbage bags, was one of generosity and spiritual comforting. By encouraging others to let go of the things that burden us in this life, and anonymously take on the secrets of others, we hope to continue the theme of that life. .
Now we're packing it all up and will be building the next instantiation in Venice this week. #marfaopen #marfaopenitalia

Marfa Italia: Ferrara

Again, thanks Maya Meissner for being motivated to style this shot (I assisted)—

Here's another behind the scenes look at what @mayameissner and I have been working on for #friarjustin! The fabric in these dresses and scarves were custom painted based off of wallpapers seen in the photographs we found in the garbage. The style is mod catholic school teacher, but with a flamboyant patterned twist. We will be wearing these outfits for our performance tonight at Spazio Grizu in Ferrara, Italy. #marfaopen #marfaopenitalia

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Madonna malocchio

Madonna malocchio, pt. I & pt. II. Oil on paper, 7”x10” each, 2019.

Impregnated by all that she sees in the world, she gives birth through the tear ducts of the third eye that spans her torso. Her joy is born as flesh and blood and bone, and her sorrow is salt-water that she casts into the sea. The water level keeps rising.

Today is my birthday; when my mother was the age that I am now, she was pregnant with me.