Palazzo Grassi Launches Biennial Lecture Series 'Lo stato dell'arte' with Rachel Cusk

Palazzo Grassi – Punta della Dogana in Venice has initiated a new biennial lecture series titled 'Lo stato dell'arte,' curated by Barbara Carnevali, director of studies in philosophy at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris. The series invites intellectuals from around the world to contribute original reflections on the nature of art, its future challenges, and how to address them. Each contribution will first be presented publicly at the Teatrino and later published in a dedicated volume by Marsilio Editori under the same series name. The inaugural event takes place on Friday, December 2, 2022, at 6 PM, featuring acclaimed English-language author Rachel Cusk (born 1967 in Saskatoon, Canada). Cusk, known for novels such as 'Second Place' (2022) and 'Saving Agnes' (1993), as well as controversial autobiographical writings on marriage and divorce, will present an essay titled 'Stuntman: The Artist and His Double.' Her essay explores artistic creation through the lens of gender and marginality, examining injustices and power dynamics within the cultural world, the perspectives of those on the margins, and the role of artists' wives in enabling their husbands' creativity. It analyzes the relationship between reality and fiction using metaphors of the mirror, the violent 'blow' of reality, and reversal. The series continues on May 10, 2023, with American philosopher Judith Butler (born 1956 in Cleveland).