Alice in Doomedland

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Alice in Doomedland, Palazzo Bonvicini, Venice

22.05.2021 – 27.02.2022

by Luca Berta et Francesca Giubilei

“Sometimes, dreams (or nightmares) step forward and take over reality. That is exactly what happened to Alice. A white rabbit disrupted a prosaic afternoon, and she followed in its footsteps into a mystery land, where social rules do not apply, where physics and logics are subverted.

The visitors of Alice in Doomedland encounter a somewhat similar experience, in which the Palazzo Bonvicini in Venice unfolds as a site for playful metaphors and meditations on man’s power fantasies, and on the dystopian reality these fantasies have created. Wonderland is a faded memory. The whole world, as we have come to terms with, has turned starkly to a threatening routine; one that is hard to grasp; one that is probably doomed. Following artists off the beaten paths and outside our usual thinking categories, we might come upon unsuspected dimensions of ourselves. Art has the power to act as a driving force, leading us to reflect upon the part each and every one of us has to play in transforming the world—not the dreamworld, but the actual world that we all share.”

Luca Berta et Francesca Giubilei

Alice in Doomedland exhibition curators

Exhibition movies

Gallery

Make a Wish

Fondation Valmont is proud to support Make-A-Wish Italia, a nonprofit organization that makes wishes come true for children and teens between 3 and 17 years old, affected by serious illnesses to bring them joy, strength and hope.

Jakub Flejšar

For the first time at Palazzo Bonvicini, rooms are metaphorically and physically intertwined to represent Jakub Flejšar’s and Pavel Roučka’s profound familial bond from a 360-degree perspective. Flejšar synthesizes this bond by placing a steel sculpture between his room and Roučka’s : a seated man, the artist himself, viscerally penetrates the space. This arrangement allows the visitor to discover, in Room 1, just a part of the whole. In the middle of the room, a large human figure is crouched down, gazing at the seated man, seemingly burdened by an inheritance too heavy to bear.
The sculptures are portraits of the artist at different stages of his life : before and after mastering the ability to maintain his complicity with Roučka without slipping into dependency. Complicity is a key concept in the Odyssey after all, as Telemachus plays a pivotal role in Ulysses’ attempt to reclaim power in Ithaca.

Pavel Roučka

Champ de Bataille unfolds as a moment of confrontation : Flejšar’s seated man, situated between the two rooms, deliberately turns his back on his stepfather’s paintings, preparing to make a bold decision. Though he understands his paternal figure’s work, he is finally ready to forge his own path.
At the centre of Room 2, two large paintings depict the key figures in Ithaca : Penelope, still and silent in the front like an observing matriarch ; Telemachus with Ulysses in the back, merging into a single entity – coinciding, sublimated, almost indistinguishable. This fusion raises a striking question : can the son ever truly break free, or is he destined to carry his father’s legacy forever ? This duality is at the heart of Champ de Bataille – a revolutionary battlefield in transformation.
Flanking this central vision, a series of scenes unfold like a protective embrace in Room 2. Telemachus appears in different stages of his journey – fighting, questioning himself, and ultimately triumphing. Father and son cannot stand as rivals but as figures entwined in the same struggle, navigating the fine line between lineage and self-determination.

Maxence Guillon

In Room 3 Maxence Guillon’s installation The Virtuous Circle explores his journey as both a man and a son, following in the footsteps of his father, Didier Guillon. This path is initially represented by a red carpet, symbolizing the invisible presence of the artist, guided and protected by his father. As the carpet turns to a brownish tone, the scene shifts to a contemporary arena, where a multimedia installation replaces the physical presence of ancient Roman spectators. In front of the towering arena, a classic-style sculpture with Maxence’s features performs like a gladiator.
The digital presence of Didier Guillon silently judges his son’s performance — eternally watching from his ever-present/absent televised form. If Didier Guillon replaces the physical spectators of ancient Rome, actual visitors are invited to sit in front of Maxence on a special seat, taking on the role of his father. Maxence’s journey, such as Telemachus’ journey, mirrors the universal human experience of navigating an adventure made possible only through the awareness of his father’s heritage.

Didier Guillon

For Room 4, Didier Guillon has chosen to present two anatomical drawings of his great-great-grandfather, Alphonse Lami, printed on towering, monolithic totems that stand as monumental echoes of the past. These sculptures anchor the works in the present, linking several generations across time. Above these totems, the word dream glows in luminous, incandescent letters, translated into ten different languages. This universal term transcends linguistic and cultural barriers, embodying the shared human experience of aspiration and courage.
The installation En dessous des rêves invites us to reflect
on the essential role of dreams in shaping our future. Without dreams, it becomes impossible to draw from the past the
heritage needed to navigate the present and, above all, to gaze towards the unknown horizon.
As the final room of the exhibition, this space closes the
virtuous circle, inviting the viewer to reflect on how heritage shapes not only the past but also the future. Much like Telemachus’ journey reaching its conclusion, this room serves as a culmination, uniting the themes of legacy, transformation, and self-discovery. It leaves the viewer with a sense of resolution and potential.

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