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.

Teresa Margolles, MX

Water humidifier exhibited at Ex-Alumix in Bolzano

The room of Mexican artist Teresa Margolles seemed to be empty, though there was the faint sound of a humidifier. The air felt moist on the skin. The viewer could not find anything to look at except a label on the wall, which revealed that the air in the room had been humidified with water brought from a Mexican morgue. The artist had collected this water which had been used to wash the bodies of unidentified and shot corpses prior to autopsy.