On the occasion of the Sixtieth Edition of the Venice Biennale,
THE POOL NYC presents Marriage of the Sea (the Rape of Venice), the solo exhibition of Austin Young / Fallen Fruit at Palazzo Cesari Marchesi.
 
“Marriage of the Sea (The Rape of Venice)’ weaves a visual and conceptual narrative about the ancestral bond between La Serenissima and the Adriatic Sea. The exhibition will consist of a new large-scale artwork created for Venice and printed onto fabric wall covering and sheer curtains. “As an artist, I attempt to create a sublime experience that changes how you feel upon entering the room, aiming to share my perceptions through an aesthetic experience.” says Young.  
 
The artwork is a celebration of the lagoon, comprising a kaleidoscopic portrait of Venice, a collage of the artist’s original photographs and images culled from archives during visits to the city’s museums, churches and palazzos. A participatory project is programmed at the opening of the exhibition with artist Irene Machetti where everyone is invited to marry the sea.
 
In the artist’s own words, “For hundreds of years on Ascension Day, a sacrifice was made. A glorious golden ring was thrown into the water that affirmed Venice’s dominion over the Adriatic Sea. The magic of this divine sacrifice was so powerful that it lasted centuries. Amid a dwindling population, the fouling of her canals, increasingly encroaching tides, and the loss of community through short term rentals, it is time to re-invoke this ancient vow: ‘Desponsamus te, mare, in signum veri perpetuique dominii!’ We marry you, sea, as a symbol of true and perpetual dominion!”Viola Romoli and Luigi Franchin, directors of THE POOL NYC state: “This sublime and immersive art installation represents an allegorical image of Venice seduced by tourism, a city that has sacrificed its cultural capital and environment for greed. A profound exploration for beauty, identity and social norms permeates the artist’s work, giving it a depth and relevance that resonates with audiences around the world.”
 
Join artist AUSTIN YOUNG and THE POOL NYC for the opening night event on April 18, artist Irene Machetti will perform a special ceremony where everyone who comes will marry the sea.

Follow THE POOL NYC stickers on the ground to find us!

Austin Young is a multidisciplinary artist whose trademark style interprets a nuanced visual language of beauty, pop culture, art history, folk art, and transgressive underground exuberance. Whether he’s working in photography and video-based modes of performative portraiture, engaging in assertive visibility for Queer culture, or advocating for a community-based resource sharing culture, Young’s interest is in illustrating the sublime qualities of humanity that moves us all forward.

Fallen Fruit is an art collaboration originally conceived in 2004 by David Burns, Matias Viegener and Austin Young. Since 2013, David and Austin have continued the collaborative work.  Much of the work they create is linked to ideas of place and generational knowledge, and it echoes a sense of connectedness with something very primal – our capacity to share the world with others.
Recent permanent artworks and museum exhibitions include: Chiotro del Bramante in Rome, Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, Orto Botanico in Palermo, V&A in London, LACMA in Los Angeles, Manifesta 12 in Palermo, NGV Triennial in Melbourne.