Doing Deculturalization is inspired by the writings of the Italian art historian and critic Carla Lonzi (1931–1982). In particular, it focuses on using her concept of deculturalization, a way of (culturally) decoding life, labor and language, as a prerequisite for an antiregulatory and decolonial vision of gender and migration. The processes of withdrawal and alienation connected to this concept are highlighted both in reference to their historical feminist context and in possible ways of applying them to the present. So, the project is basically asking, to what extent can “deculturalization” processes liberate forms of empowerment and resistance. In other words, how can they develop a critique of the colonializing power structures?
Against the backdrop of this question, the exhibition creates a speculative scenario, a topography of associations between archive material from feminist movements and contemporary and historic artistic positions with a particular focus on material from the Archivio di Nuova Scrittura (New Writing Archive) in the Museion Collection.