Shut Up. Or Rather, Speak– the 3 Winners of the Call

Video by Allison Grimaldi-Donahue, Laura Heyman and Léna Lewis-King

A Self-Portrait, for Taci. Anzi, Parla (2020) by Allison Grimaldi-DonahueLa Galleria Nazionale

Allison Grimaldi-Donahue, A Self-portrait (videostill)La Galleria Nazionale

"I have lived in Italy for ten years and many of the people I love are quite far away, this ongoing global pandemic makes seeing them impossible; this impossibility connects them to many other people in my life who are unreachable for a different reason. Part of becoming an adult, for me at least, has been a journey to understanding loss. It terrifies me to look at family photo albums and realize most of the people in there are dead; but, I am also then inclined to explore what that means, why I feel the way I do, to think more deeply about who these people were. As I grow older, I look more and more like my mother, a quick glance in the mirror brings her back to life. This video is part of my ongoing investigation into the creation of self—the intertextual, grafted, remade, plastic self".

The Photographer's Wife (2020) by Laura HeymanLa Galleria Nazionale

Laura Heyman, The Photographer’s Wife (videostill)La Galleria Nazionale

"What are  lessons art history teaches women, specifically those regarding the female muse? Is it possible to internalize these lessons, and if so, what effect does this have on one’s own production?A female character runs through a series of poses while gazing intimately at the camera. A voice off screenis demanding and familiar, giving feeling of intimacy.  Viewers get the sense they’re seeing something private, perhaps an artist collaborating with their lover. The model/subject’s job is always performative — she must be able to portray both a true and idealized self. In this case, the problem is slightly more complicated. As both artist and model I must convey not only this multiple subjectivity, but also reflect back to the viewer an imagined photographer/husband. The video unpacks the performance taking place on both sides of the camera, examining the ways power can shift from artist to model, and asking whether the results of this exchange are more a representation of one or the other".

L’autoritratto (2020) by Léna Lewis-KingLa Galleria Nazionale

Léna Lewis-King, L’autoritratto (videostill)La Galleria Nazionale

"The submitted film, ‘Autroritratto’ is titled in the after being inspired by the Tazi, Anzi Parla open call and its focus on Carla Lonzi’s work ‘Autoritratto’ and the idea of the ‘Rivolta Femminile’. When thinking about the nature of the ‘self’, I realised that there are many contrasting and harmonic layers that make a simple definition or understanding difficult. Through using voiceover and personal archive footage, my film seeks to unpack this layered complexity and reach to the core of what the ‘self’ can be in an honest, vulnerable way".

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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