Nari Ward's 'Holding Patterns' Opens at Villa Pacchiani
Jamaican artist Nari Ward (born 1963 in Saint Andrew Parish) presents 'Holding Patterns,' a solo exhibition at Villa Pacchiani in Santa Croce sull'Arno, Italy, opening October 20, 2018, and running until January 6, 2019. Curated by Ilaria Mariotti, the show is part of a broader initiative started in 2013 that connects art, territory, and social issues, in collaboration with UNIC – Concerie Italiane and Lineapelle. The exhibition features new works inspired by Ward's visits to local tanneries and water treatment plants, exploring themes of labor, migration, and temporality. The title derives from a photo-video piece where Ward reflects on tourists at the Leaning Tower of Pisa pretending to hold it up, contrasting them with immigrant vendors nearby. He questions how to transmigrate the immigrant into the tourist, highlighting the temporary states of leisure and work. This project precedes a major retrospective planned at the New Museum in New York.
Key facts
- Nari Ward is Jamaican, born 1963 in Saint Andrew Parish.
- Exhibition titled 'Holding Patterns' opens October 20, 2018 at Villa Pacchiani.
- Runs until January 6, 2019 in Santa Croce sull'Arno, Italy.
- Curated by Ilaria Mariotti.
- Collaboration with UNIC – Concerie Italiane and Lineapelle.
- Part of an initiative started in 2013 linking art, territory, and social issues.
- Features new works from Ward's experience in tanneries and purification plants.
- Title comes from a photo-video piece about tourists and immigrants at the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
- A major retrospective at the New Museum is in planning.
- Article written by Valentina Poli.
Entities
Artists
- Nari Ward
Institutions
- Villa Pacchiani
- New Museum
- UNIC – Concerie Italiane
- Lineapelle
- Artribune
Locations
- Santa Croce sull'Arno
- Italy
- Saint Andrew Parish
- Pisa
- Leaning Tower of Pisa