WOUNDED WORDS WOUNDING WORDS

The project curated by Marta Cereda at the Biblioteca Capitolare, one of the symbolic sites of Europe’s written memory, presents a series of works that highlight the revolutionary power of the word. The pieces, drawn from private collections as well as from the galleries participating in ArtVerona, will enter into dialogue with the library’s collection of over 1,200 manuscripts, creating an unprecedented relationship between container and content and underscoring the enduring value of critical thinking.

The Capitolare -considered to be the oldest still-active library in the world- is a complex space where the words in the codices are overlaid with marks of the violence they suffered: in 1945, the building was bombed, and the damaged volumes still bear the marks today. The exhibition in this unique space interprets language as a field of tension. The selected works, which include paintings, sculptures, photographs, installations, videos and gestures and come from public and private collections, explore its ambivalent potential: a communication tool, but also a tool for manipulation; vehicle of truth, but also of propaganda; weapon and refuge, construction and reconciliation.