VALENTINA MEDDA

Dates of residency:  March till April 2018 
Born: 1975
Nationality: Italian
Lives and works: Bologna, Italy 
Education: 
2009 Certificate Degree in Photography, ICP-New York
2002 MA in Philosophy, University of Bologna
Selected shows:
2019 49th edition of Santarcangelo Festival, Santarcangelo
2018 S’ultimu Attittu, Cinemare Festival, Kiel 
2017 Home is a sick body, Maison Ventidue, Bologna
2016 Amsterdam by Night, Beeldend Gesproken Gallery, Amsterdam 

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THE ARTIST
Valentina Medda is an interdisciplinary artist based in Bologna, Italy. Her art practice lays at the crossroads between performance, photography and intervention, positioning itself right at the border that separates and connects public and private, body and architecture, urban space and social belonging. Recently invited to be part of the MIBAC’s Grand Tour d’Italie, Medda has shown her work internationally, and has been invited as artist in residence in several cities in Europe and abroad –Open city Vooruit (Ghent), Flux Factory (NYC), OPEN CARE (Milan), Centre International d’Accueil aux Récollets and Cité des Arts (Paris), and Bains Connective (Brussels), amongst others. In these past years, she's been the recipient of the Roberto Cimetta Mobility Grant; the NYFA's Fellowship; the Master and Back’s grant; the Movin Up Award and the TINA ART Prize. 

THE RESIDENCY
At BAR, Medda focused on researching  the ancient tradition of the professional mourning, common to all Mediterranean countries and still alive in Lebanon. Practiced by old women, the lamentation consists in collectively mourning the loss of each member of the community, to help the grieving family. To culminate her residency, Valentina shot a short video – S’ultimu Attittu– where a small group of local women addressed their sorrow to the Sea, mourning the bodies lost in the Mediterranean. The project will eventually evolve into a live performance, intended to travel along the Mediterranean Sea. S’ultimu Attittu was supported by Roberto Cimetta fund and it’s in collaboration with Creative Space Beirut.