Homo Urbanus Venetians Trailer Documents Venice Acqua Alta

Artists Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine have released a trailer for 'Homo Urbanus Venetianus,' the latest installment in their long-term research project 'Homo Urbanus,' which examines urban life through the lens of the human landscape. The project began in 2017 with a commission from the Agora Biennale of Bordeaux and has previously covered cities including Seoul, Bogotà, Naples, Saint Petersburg, Rabat, Kyoto, Tokyo, Doha, and Shanghai. The Venice trailer captures residents and tourists navigating the acqua alta (high water) that has been affecting the lagoon, showing locals with feet submerged in water, having breakfast in a flooded bar, and pushing carts through the water, as well as tourists in parkas and galoshes seeking the perfect photo. The footage also includes former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi surrounded by photographers and journalists commenting on the situation. Bêka and Lemoine, who have collaborated for ten years, describe the series as a cinematic odyssey observing everyday habits in relation to the environment. Their work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and has been exhibited at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2008, 2010, and 2014, as well as at Performa17. In 2018, Bêka was an Italian Fellow at the American Academy in Rome.