A SCOTTISH art gallery is to stage the first solo presentation in the UK of work by Sicilian artist Elisa Giardina Papa.
The exhibition is focused on the Sicilian myth of the donne di fora – women who were thought to have magical powers.
First exhibited at the 2022 Venice Biennale, U Scantu – Sicilian for fear – brings together ceramic sculptures and a large-scale video installation to explore the myth of the donne di fora.
It is being brought to Scotland to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Edinburgh’s Collective gallery on Calton Hill, once a site for “witch” burnings.
The donne di fora were also seen as heretical and were believed to embody a range of opposing qualities – feminine and masculine, human and animal, benevolent and vengeful. Giardina Papa reimagines them as teenage “tuners”, young women who ride through the urban landscape of Gibellina Nuova in the west of Sicily on bikes customised with powerful sound systems.
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Drawing on songs and stories told by the artist’s grandmother, as well as 16th and 17th-century archival material from the Spanish Inquisition, U Scantu intersperses scenes of the modern-day tuners with poetic text and visual motifs from a 19th-century collection of Sicilian fairy tales.
Ducks’ feet and thick ceramic braids growing out of the walls and speakers reference the magical powers of the donne di fora. While their healing rituals were known to alleviate “u scantu”, their patients could awaken with monstrous feet or long disorderly braids.
Running around the walls of the gallery, a text work quotes from the New York poet, Megan Fernandes, who together with composer and performer duendita, has collaborated with the artist on the lyrical and sound composition.
Said Giardina Papa: “The myth of the donne di fora should not be dismissed as a dusty folkloric object but rather conjured as a generative multispecies and queer imaginary – an ancient yet new possibility of becoming.”
The exhibition – which runs from March 1 until May 19 – will be accompanied by a series of special events, culminating in a special play weekend.
The weekend, led by Collective’s play lead artist, Frieda Ford, will offer children and families the opportunity to make and become hybrid creatures through creative play activities.
“Collective has a long history of introducing the work of international practitioners to Scotland and the UK,” said director Sorcha Carey.
“As we look forward to celebrating our 40th anniversary later this year, we are delighted to bring Elisa’s ground-breaking practice and distinctive imagery to Calton Hill and the City Observatory.”
The Italian Institute of Culture in Edinburgh is supporting the presentation of “U Scantu”: A Disorderly Tale
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