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E IL TOPO is part of the parallel program of Manifesta 10

This year European Biennial of Contemporary art, Manifesta 10, will be held in St. Petersburg and a new edition of the “balconism” project is approaching with the participation of E IL TOPO

BLKNZM Saint Petersburg

BLKNZM is a virtual exhibition, a potential tour around the city of Saint Petersburg, for the occasion of Manifesta 10 and beyond. It occupies no public or private physical space. Visitors to Saint Petersburg can look for the balconies and read/listen to the illustrated stories these locations have inspired.

Of course people anywhere in the world can also see/hear/read the works prepared by the artist-authors. These are just a few of the possible intriguing tales hidden behind the balconies and windows of this amazing city.
Also check out the original free BLKNZM app created for the Venice Biennale, 2013 at www.balconism.org.
Artists:
Gabriele Di Matteo (with the movement & IL TOPO), Nathalie Du Pasquier, Barnaba Fornasetti & Valeria Manzi, Mark V. Kalinka, Jay C Lohmann, Oxana Maleeva, Elena Nemkova, Adrian Paci, Steve Piccolo, Christoph Radl, George Sowden, Bert Theis
Concept: Steve Piccolo and Oxana Maleeva
http://www.blknzm.com

The Parallel Program of Manifesta 10 is a curated series of independent events specifically devised for, or coinciding with, the dates of the Biennial. Initiated by Manifesta and realized in collaboration with The Hermitage Museum XXI Century Foundation, the Parallel Program aims to engage regional, national and international visitors to Manifesta 10 with a faceted view of the contemporary cultural situation in St. Petersburg.
In early 2014, Manifesta 10 invited individual artists and interdisciplinary cultural producers living and working in the St. Petersburg region, as well as local institutions, art organizations and other cultural projects, to propose projects for inclusion in the Parallel Program. Following the deliberations of a specially appointed jury, the network of selected projects will be communicated through the Parallel Program’s marketing and promotional material.
Information on the members of the jury and the announcement of the final list of contributors to the Parallel Program is posted online at ParalleleventsM10.ru.

Manifesta was conceived in the early 1990s as a nomadic, European biennial of contemporary art, responding to the new social, cultural and political reality that emerged in the aftermath of the Cold War. Formed from the desire to explore the psychological and geographical territory of Europe and provide a dynamic platform for cultural exchange throughout the region, it takes place every two years in a different European city. Along with the Venice Biennale and documenta in Kassel, Manifesta is one of the foremost art events in Europe.
Since 1996, Manifesta has taken place in Rotterdam, Luxembourg, Ljubljana, Frankfurt, Donostia/San Sebastián, the regions of Trentino–South Tyrol and Murcia, and most recently Genk in Belgium. Over the course of its nine Biennials and twenty years, over a million people have visited Manifesta’s events and participated in its programs. It has successfully presented artists, curators, young professionals, and trainees from as many as forty different countries, and in each edition continues to innovate and reimagine contemporary art practices. The tenth edition will be hosted by the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia and will run from June 28 until October 31, 2014.
The Manifesta Biennials are initiated and co-organized by the International Foundation Manifesta (Manifesta Foundation), an independent and not-for-profit organization with offices in Amsterdam. For more about Manifesta and previous editions please see the Manifesta Foundation’s website: www.manifesta.org

2014 marks the twentieth anniversary of Manifesta. In its jubilee edition, Manifesta will reevaluate the past twenty-five years of changing realities, experiences, and transformations brought about by the shifting world order. The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg was selected by the Board of the Manifesta Foundation to host MANIFESTA 10 because of its critical, intellectual, and historical relationship with East and West Europe: a principle at the core of Manifesta's own beginnings. Founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great as her personal art collection, the State Hermitage Museum has been open to the public since 1852, and in 2014 celebrates 250 years of existence. The recently renovated General Staff Building, the new premises for modern and contemporary art at the State Hermitage Museum, will be fully open this year, acting as the main stage for Manifesta 10.
Led by Curator Kasper König, MANIFESTA 10 will expand the artistic exchange made possible by the events of 1989–91. More than 50 leading contemporary artists from Russia and around the world will participate, with a number of artists creating new works specifically for MANIFESTA 10. The Biennial will be a landmark opportunity to experience and learn more about the geopolitical history of the site and venues, along with various positions within contemporary art, in the company of works of historical excellence held in the Hermitage's collection.
Education, mediation, and public and parallel programs play an important role in MANIFESTA 10, in its investigations of the notions and role of contemporary culture in a changing society. MANIFESTA 10 will reach out to broad publics by offering events and encounters with art outside of the State Hermitage Museum, bringing the exhibition into the city and a step closer towards people's everyday lives.

Manifesta 10 - 2014
The European Biennial of Contemporary Art
June 28th - October 31st
St. Petersburg, Russia
The State Hermitage Museum
http://manifesta10.org/en/manifesta-10/