Claire Fontaine, a Palermo-based collective established in Paris in 2004 by the Italian–British artist duo Fulvia Carnevale and James Thornhill, confronts the political impotence and crisis of singularity within contemporary art and society today. Foreigners Everywhere / Stranieri Ovunque (60th International Art Exhibition / 60. Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte) (2004-24) comprises a series of neon sign sculptures spanning multiple languages, capturing the nuanced ambivalence embedded in its title. The works draw inspiration from the name of an anarchist collective that fought against xenophobia in Turin in the early 2000s. Exhibited across diverse contexts and public spaces, these sculptures serve both as a factual statement against and a countermeasure to potential racist threats. It evokes a palpable sense of estrangement experienced by individuals navigating a globalised society – a sentiment relatable to immigrants and other marginalised groups, encompassing issues of race, gender, and class. The work acknowledges that meanings can be altered or confused through the act of relocation. By investigating a “foreign language within language”, they delve into new meanings and experiences to underscore that each of us may be, or has been, foreign to something or someone at some point in time, somewhere in our lives.
This is the first time the work of Claire Fontaine is presented at Biennale Arte (Corderie dell'Arsenale and Gaggiandre).
—Amanda Carneiro
