Protest forms: memory and celebration
2023
Embroidery on velvet
3 banners: 150 x 90 cm each; 2 banners: 100 x 70 cm each
Courtesy of the artist and Mazzoleni, London-Torino
Location: Corneliu Miklosi Museum of Public Transport 

The Protest Forms series consists of five embroidered banners newly produced for the exhibition Chronic desire - Sete cronica. The series revives both the artisanal sewing technique and the solemn tradition of the banner in parades and sacramental processions. 

Onto these banners, popular elements are added, including figures and slogans that allude to the civil rights struggle, while using the structure of a celebration. The series speaks to a legacy of protests in Europe that have used language related to performance and visual arts, but exist in the social fabric of the streets. 

The phrases embroidered on the banners celebrate different movements of civil disobedience, student-led initiatives, empowerment and emancipation, or concern the environmental damage inflicted throughout the last century.

Bio
Marinella Senatore is a multidisciplinary artist trained in music, fine art, and cinema. Her practice is characterised by a strong collective and participatory dimension; her work combines aesthetic research with the transformative power of social engagement.

Senatore’s works and performances have been commissioned and exhibited by Italian and international institutions alike, including: Palais de Tokyo, Paris; High Line, New York; Queens Museum, New York; Centre Pompidou Paris; Kunsthaus Zürich; MAXXI; Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago; Berlinische Galerie; Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo; Serpentine Gallery; Museo Madre; Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal; Palazzo Grassi; Moderna Museet. The artist has participated in the following contemporary art biennials: São Paulo Biennial; Venice Biennale; Lyon Biennial; Thessaloniki Biennial; Liverpool Biennial; Athens Biennial; Havana Biennial; Gothenburg Biennial; Cuenca Biennial; Pune Biennial; South Tyrol Biennial; Bangkok Biennial; and

Manifesta12, Palermo. Upcoming projects include solo exhibitions at: Museum Villa Stuck, Munich;

Museum der Moderne, Salzburg; Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam and CCA, Tel Aviv.

Marinella Senatore lives between London and Rome.