Antonio Ottomanelli's 'Specters of Now' at Km0 Gallery, Innsbruck

Antonio Ottomanelli (Bari, 1981) presents 'Specters of Now' at Km0 Gallery in Innsbruck, part of his ongoing project 'Santuario Europa'. The exhibition, curated by Adelaide Santambrogio, features an installation of asphalt formworks representing global terrorist attack fatalities by geographic region, alongside two polyptychs depicting sites of the 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack (12 dead, 56 injured) and the 2017 Sesto San Giovanni shootout where terrorist Anis Amri was killed. Ottomanelli photographed the asphalt and corresponding sky at the exact time and date of each event, aiming to equate victim and perpetrator. The work critiques the erosion of public space in the West through securitization and decorum rhetoric, arguing that true public space must allow conflict. Nora Akawi, architect and curator at Studio-X Amman (Columbia GSAPP), contextualizes the work as an invitation to mourn lost lives, rights, and futures. The exhibition runs until January 18, 2019.