Insider's Guide to Venezia

Since its onset, Venice has always occupied a unique position - in history, in commerce, and in culture. Caught on the edges of many worlds, Venice has always taken bits and pieces of other civilizations to create and cultivate its own unique identity.

This installation aims to confuse, to blur, and to elaborate upon Venice’s many - sometimes - conflicting identities. As both a citizen of the United States and Veneto, Italy, I feel myself caught distinctly between these identities, confronting Venice as both a visitor and a citizen. My work draws on the Venetian tradition of creating an immediate visual effect while also establishing several overlapping and sometimes contradicting meanings.

The high altar draws inspiration from Venice’s rich religious and artistic history, the book The Insider’s Guide to Venezia seeks to capture the many ways that I perceive the city, and lastly a large set of pigeon sculptures pays homage to some of the most noticeable residents of contemporary Venice.