“the REFUGEE REMEMBRANCE WALL”

OFFLINE

The 60th Biennale in Venice unveils the Refugee Remembrance Wall, a poignant display showcasing 20 painted portraits. Each artwork immortalizes refugees who, forced by persecution, war, or violence, fled their homelands.

On display from april 20th to november 24th at the Cameroon Pavilion (Palazzo Donà dalle Rose -Fondamente Nove, 5038, 30121 Venezia VE)

At first glance, the paintings immediately present a familiar symbol in modern culture, which is accurately described by the artists as a “charging circle.” This is the circle that only appears as completed when a digital file, such as an image, document or video has been successfully and completely downloaded. In the modern age of technology, new media, and a seemingly unstoppable digital empire that continues to grow, the “charging circle” has become almost ubiquitous in vital components of daily life. Whether we are at work, school, or perhaps applying for a job, a visa, a bank account, or simply to post a picture of a good meal or the family dog to any one of the numerous social media platforms, we as humans have inevitably come up against the charging circle. Maybe we are trying to refresh our screen and see the most recent update of information. If we are lucky, the circle completes quickly and effortlessly. Sometimes, it takes a few tries to complete. Sometimes, we need to ask for help to complete the circle. Other times, despite our greatest efforts and intentions, we cannot get the charging circle to fully complete, and the task at hand remains unfinished, and the dread inevitably sets in. 

The next component I was drawn to in the paintings, was the blurry faces beneath the incomplete charging circle. The sharp, crisp, incomplete white circle sits in stark contrast due to its placement over the blurry face of the subject. They are faces that look like they could be familiar, but the blurring of the faces gives the viewer a sense of distance, and assures us that we are unacquainted with the human in the painting. The blurriness also parallels the same uncomfortable feeling of incompleteness that an unfinished circle offers; we are waiting for the image or circle to fully download. We are impatiently waiting for the face to come into focus, so we can process the information and sit in the comfort of knowing that the task is complete, and we are now allowed to move on in our lives. 

The final characteristic that I observed were the strong, vibrant background colours of the work; they are vivacious, lively and even happy. A strong yellow alludes to a sense of life and of passion. However, upon further reflection, the viewer is overcome by confusion; the feelings emitted by the background colours do not agree with the feelings emitted by the blurred faces and the incomplete charging circle. The paintings force us to ask ourselves, are we happy, or are we uncomfortable, as there is still a hypothetical task to be completed? 

The title of the series “Offline,” leads us as the observer to conclude that the circle remains incomplete, the image does not download, and the never-ending task of life remains, in fact, incomplete.