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"Skinheads
Swimming"
Skinheads
Swimming is the title of Sislej Xhafa’s second
solo show at Galleria Laura Pecci.
Simultaneously,
a Xhafa show called Heavy Metal will be shown at the GAMeC in
Bergamo, in the Project Room “Eldorado”.
The
silence of a dry faucet in the middle of an empty space is contrasted
by a video projected in the adjacent room. Its images show two
skinheads submerged in the cascading waters of the Trevi fountain,
Rome’s pompous symbol of the dolce vita.
The Xhafa installation is an invitation to explore the
contradictions of contemporary society. Stereotypes of prejudice and
violence, the skinheads are observed in a completely different aspect
of their being. In the first rays of dawn, in the silence of the city
that is still asleep, the two young men gracefully enter the water and
engage in childish games. This is almost a demonstration of how
senseless it would be to try to wash away the “filth” from this
part of humanity. Meanwhile, the faucet without water continues to
refer us back to the more conventional aspects of an arid, emotionless
existence.
Sislej
Xhafa was born in 1970 in Peje (Kosovo) and
lives in New York.
His
work – performances, installations, videos, photographs – focuses
on the phenomena of clandestinity and multiculturalism, with the aim
of opening up discussion about clichés and stereotypes of modern
life. His interests push him to examine topics that have steadily
become increasingly complex, and lead toward the building of a new
concept of art. His tools are irony and displacement of conventions.
Xhafa
has taken part in important national and international exhibitions
such as Over the Edges Gent
(2001), Zomer van de Poëzie Watou
(2000), Manifesta III Ljubljana
(2000), Chinese Whispers New
York (2000), Uniform PS1 New
York (2001), Future of Old Kunsthalle
Bern (2001), Casino 2001 SMAK
Museum Gent (2001),
Palais de Tokyo Paris
(2002).
He
has also participated in the Istanbul Biennial (2001), the Tirana
Biennial (2001), the Gwangiu Biennial (2002), and exhibited works at
the Fondazione Teseco of Pisa (2002) and the GPM of Zagabria.
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