Prospetto a Mare is the latest chapter of Eritrea-born artist Dawit L. Petro’s long-term investigation of the impact of Italian colonialism and its subsequent imprint on the visual cultures, populations, and built environments of Africa, Europe and North America. With particular attention to Chicago’s buried links to Italian colonialism, Petros probes the propaganda used to promote Italy’s colonial projects in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Libya, and by extension, the newly formed Italian state; the (aerial) technologies used to dominate occupied countries and simultaneously extol the power of the occupiers; and the imperfect ways in which these histories are inscribed in public and private memory through monuments, storytelling, archives, and photography. By incisively deconstructing established narratives of culture, migration, and power, Prospetto a Mare reminds us that the tendrils of the past reach into the present, emphasizing that history remains unfixed and unfinished.
Prospetto a Mare by Dawit L. Petro examines the impact of Italian colonialism on Africa, Europe, and North America, focusing on Chicago’s hidden connections. The work explores propaganda, aerial technologies, and how these histories are preserved or forgotten through monuments and archives, highlighting the ongoing and evolving nature of history.
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An initiative of the Terra Foundation for American Art in partnership with artists and organizations across the city, Art Design Chicago is a series of events and exhibitions that highlight the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities.
