This exhibition brings together the six films in Alex Martinis Roe’s long-term research project, To Become Two (2014 – 2016), which traces the genealogy of “feminist new materialist” and “sexual difference” philosophies through her engagement with different international feminist communities and their political practices.
The histories explored include: the Milan Women's Bookstore Collective, Psychanalyse et Politique, Women's Studies at Utrecht University (now Gender Studies), a network of people who were part of the Sydney Women's Film Group and General Philosophy at the University of Sydney, a milieu in Barcelona including Duoda and Ca La Dona, and a younger generation of women brought together by the artist through her research trajectory, with whom she has developed eighteen propositions for new feminist collective practices.
The films are presented in architectural installations designed by Martinis Roe in collaboration with Fotini Lazaridou-Hatzigoga, and include archival elements from each respective history calling attention to the interior-architectural spaces created by each group as well as the materiality of the dispositif of their political practices. Each film is also accompanied by a poster and title credits designed by Chiara Figone. The exhibition at ar/ge is curated by Emanuele Guidi.
The exhibition will be officially opened on Friday 24 February at 7pm, with further details about the exhibition, public programme and ar/ge available here.
To Become Two is co-commissioned by ar/ge kunst, Bolzano, Casco – Office for Art, Design and Theory, Utrecht, If I Can’t Dance, I Don’t Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution, Amsterdam and The Showroom, London. The accompanying workshops and performances are co-commissioned by the Keir Foundation. The project was produced with the support of the Graduiertenschule der Universität der Künste Berlin and the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, and its arts funding and advisory body. The exhibition at ar/ge kunst is supported by The Autonomous Province of South Tyrol, Department of Culture; Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio, Bolzano; City of Bolzano, Department of Culture.
Each film presented in To Become Two has been produced with additional support from Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; ar/ge kunst, Bolzano; BAR Project, Barcelona; The Blank Residency, Bergamo; Casco – Office for Art, Design and Theory, Utrecht; Centre Intermondes, La Rochelle; Cross Art Projects, Sydney; If I Can’t Dance, I Don’t Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution, Amsterdam; Gender Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht; the Samstag Program, Adelaide; The Showroom, London; and Viafarini-in-Residence, Milan.