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Danas Daily, Serbia, June 18, 2007
…The rigidity of the notion of national culture, or rather the overcoming of such relations, was emphasized this year by an interesting initiative from the Open Society Institute which sponsored the project “Paradise Lost”, the first Roma Pavilion in Venice. Artists from eight European countries were showcased, illustrating above all how the stereotypes of the Roma are still present in Europe. The art here plays a social function of defining (and profiling) one collective identity. The most successful examples from Roma artists insist, above all, on the humorous dimension of understanding Roma sensitivity, i.e. on playfully engaging trash (kitsch), esthetics and (over)saturation.
In the authentic, slightly worn out Palazzo Pisani San Marino on Cannareggio, the group exhibit was organized by curator Timea Junghaus, highlighting the various individual artistic expressions within Europe’s largest minority.
While the archetypal affinity towards motifs of displacement and nonconformist ways of living is surely present, these works indicate the need for separating rooted modes of perception and false interpretations of the Roma spirit.
By insisting on the sense of humor and adaptability of the Roma spirit, the best works speak precisely of that, emphasizing the key need for fitting within contemporary artistic trends.
The American Robert Store, Director of the Biennale, wholeheartedly supported this specific initiative presenting one national art outside of geographic markers – as a way of connecting various identities, artistic and life experiences in today’s global world.
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