Where is South? Moleskine Foundation Workshop Challenges Cardinal Directions

The Moleskine Foundation's AtWork workshop, held from September 9 to 13, 2019, brought together 18 young participants from Nigeria, Cameroon, Venezuela, Italy, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, many of whom are refugees or asylum seekers in Italy. Led by curator Simon Njami, the workshop explored the theme 'Where is South?'—a critical examination of cardinal directions as cultural constructs shaped by power dynamics. Participants deconstructed the concept of South through discussion and then created individual artworks using AtWork notebooks, which were later exhibited at Palazzo Querini, Fondazione Ugo e Olga Levi, starting September 17. The exhibition also features 'Rothko in Lampedusa,' a collaboration between Moleskine Foundation and UNHCR. Notable works include Lamin D. Drammeh's 'Wonderland,' a sculpture highlighting Africa in gold; Wendorlink Zerpa's 'Il mare,' a nostalgic boat memory from Venezuela; and Federico Alcaro's 'The Peeping Paradox,' a white box spatializing the notebook. The workshop aims to use creativity and critical thinking as active resources for individual and collective change, challenging media narratives that portray migrants as burdens.