Biennale Donna 2016: Silencio Vivo at PAC Ferrara

The 16th edition of Biennale Donna, titled 'Silencio Vivo,' opened at the PAC in Ferrara, curated by Lola G. Bonora and Silvia Cirelli. The exhibition features four women artists—Ana Mendieta, Anna Maria Maiolino, Teresa Margolles, and Amalia Pica—whose works critically engage with South America's socio-political issues, including corruption, censorship, and violence. Mendieta's ritualistic body art, such as 'Anima, Silueta de Cohetes' (1976) and 'Untitled (Body Track)' (1974), explores themes of life, death, and nature. Maiolino's photographic series 'In-Out' (1973) and 'Entrevidas' (1981) address fear, danger, and the limits between creation and destruction under Brazil's military dictatorship. Margolles presents 'Pesquisas' (investigations), a site-specific installation using missing persons' photographs from Ciudad Juarez, and 'Sonidos de la muerte' (2008), which records ambient sounds from sites where murdered women were found. Pica's works, including 'Switchboard' (2011-12), examine communication breakdowns through paradoxes and absurd dialogues. The exhibition runs until June 12, 2016.