Paradise Lost

The First Roma Pavilion Opens at Venice Biennale: a Return of the Paradise Lost

Venice, June 2007 -- The First Roma Pavilion at the Venice Biennale opened on June 7, 2007 with the premiere of the exhibition Paradise Lost.

The exhibition marks the arrival of Roma contemporary culture on the international stage and sends an important message: Roma have a vital role to play in the cultural and political landscape of Europe.
The Palazzo Pisani at Santa Marina had probably never in its centuries-long history hosted at once so many international visitors. The 16^th-century Baroque palace was full: hundreds of guests packed the Pavilion, including the featured Gypsy artists, exhibition organizers and their guests from government, civil society and the world of art.

Among them were Viktoria Mohacsi, Member of the European Parliament; Dzamila Stehlikova, Minister of Human Rights and National Minorities in Czech Republic, Dr. Marta Schneider, Hungarian State Secretary in Charge of Culture, and a number of journalists, including TV crews from Hungary, Italy and Spain.

Roma Pavilion: Necessity or Segregation?
The program that followed gave an impression of the return of the old times and Paradise Lost that the watered-down palace in the Canareggio district had in the past: Internationally renowned jazz guitarist Ferenc Snétberger gave a memorable performance following the inaugural speeches.

The presence of The First Roma Pavilion, created across national boundaries, addresses some fundamental questions and controversy: Is a separate Roma Pavilion necessary? Is there such a thing as ‘Roma art’? Does creating a separate space for Roma artists help or hinder social inclusion? These issues were discussed by a panel moderated by BBC Central European correspondent Nick Thorpe, who interviewed representatives of the sponsoring organizations, including philanthropist George Soros, Chairman of the Open Society Institute; Michael Thoss, Director of the Allianz Kulturstiftung; and Odile Chenal, Deputy Director of the European Cultural Foundation.

Other panelists included Tímea Junghaus, art historian from Hungary, curator of Paradise Lost; Viktor Misiano, international curator and member of the scientific advisory committee for the exhibition; László Jakab Orsós, Director of the Hungarian Cultural Institute in New York; Beral Madra, Director of the BM Contemporary Art Center in Istanbul; and Grammy award-winning Gypsy musician, Damian Draghici, who is Romania’s Ambassador for Roma Minority in the European Year of Equal Opportunities.

“Without a dedicated Roma Pavilion, it would be impossible to introduce Roma artists to the international scene, because they do not have access to the necessary infrastructure, as an exhibition place, communication campaign and a contemporary art institution that manages logistics,” said Timea Junghaus, the exhibition curator.

“Thus the Roma Pavilion does not increase the segregation of the Roma (is not a “cultural ghetto”) when it presents Roma culture outside the framework of national cultures. Of course, in an ideal world the Roma artists could exhibit in any of the European pavilions, but it is a fact that to date no artist of Roma origin has been presented in the 110-year long history of the Venice Biennale,” added Junghaus.
Following the round-table discussion the Romanian band Shukar Collective performed, and many guests joined in to dance.

International Reactions
In the days immediately following the opening, a steady stream of visitors found their way to the Roma Pavilion, although it is a bit away from the most prominent Biennale area that hosts the national pavilions. Among over 3,000 visitors that saw Paradise Lost in the first three weeks were a number of government representatives and international museum curators.

Many international media claim Paradise Lost is the first truly European event at the 110-year old Biennale: it features the work of sixteen contemporary Roma artists representing eight European countries, as opposed to the other pavilions that feature strictly national selections.

Several media compared the exhibition with another Pavilion, which for the first time featured African artists: “The news at the Biennale are the African and the Roma Pavilions,” says Sme, the influential daily from Slovakia in the title of its main report from the opening of the Biennale.

International policy makers and artists welcomed the Pavilion: “The European Commission attaches great importance to protection and respect of minority rights, in particular of the Roma, who constitute the largest ethnic minority across the European Union. This has been a key element in our strategy. I wish you very success in this exciting project,” said José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission.

Film director Wim Wenders sees the Pavilion as an opportunity “to correct our image of the largest minority in Europe, which is still shaped by Gypsy romance and Gypsy kitsch.”

Robert Storr, Director of the 52^and Biennale says that “In the world of a growing number of nations, with voluntary and forced migrations, there is no other nation that has lived in inter-cultural spaces longer then Roma… They can be from India, from Central Africa, from the edges of Europe, but they have been there for many years and that is why it is important to present them at the Biennale, as an acknowledgement of their existence.”

Gypsy or Roma?
According to Junghaus’ essay in the catalog published by Prestel that accompanies the exhibition, “I consider it far less important to use a politically correct term [‘Roma’] than to clean the word ‘Gypsy’ of prejudices and negative stereotypes, and to rehabilitate it by employing it in positive contexts.”

Asked by the media to explain the title of the exhibition, Junghaus adds: “The title refers to our desire to restore a condition that seems paradisiacal, in which Roma art is an emancipated member of the international arts community.”

The exhibiting artists include:
Daniel Baker (GB); Tibor Balogh (H); Mihaela Ionela Cimpeanu (Rom); Gabi Jimenez (F); András Kállai (H-GB); Damian Le Bas (GB); Delaine Le Bas (GB); Kiba Lumberg (Fin); Omara [ Mara Oláh] (H); Marian Petre (Rom); Nihad Nino Pušija (Bih-D); Jenő André Raatzsch (H-D); János Révész (H); Dusan Ristic (Ser-Usa); István Szentandrássy (H); Norbert Szirmai (H).

The Pavilion was commissioned by the Open Society Institute, and is co-sponsored by the Allianz Kulturstiftung (Germany) and the European Cultural Foundation (the Netherlands).

The Roma Pavilion is open to the public until 21 November, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Closed Mondays.

For further information please contact: press.romapavilion@osi.hu or visit www.romapavilion.org