Manifesta purposely strives to keep its distance from what are often seen as the dominant centres of artistic production, instead seeking fresh and fertile terrain for the mapping of a new cultural topography.
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Patricia Kaersenhout, NL
Patricia Kaersenhout, The Soul of Salt, 2016. Photo © Manifesta 12 / Wolfgang Traeger.
There is a Caribbean legend according to which enslaved people refrained from eating salt because it would prevent them from becoming lighter and flying back to Africa. In this work, by Dutch-Surinamese artist Patricia Kaersenhout, a spiritual leader blessed salt and visitors could take it home to dissolve in water, symbolising the dissolution of past pain. A group of refugees sang 19th century slave songs, connecting the refugee crisis with the slave trade. This installation was located in a venue that used to serve as a border police and customs office.