Studio Orta

The exhibition Prendre la Tangente at MAIF Social Club is imagined as a great choreographed crossing at the heart of new imaginaries linked to travel. In this context, Lucy + Jorge Orta presents a new version of Antarctica World Passport Office, a component of the long-term research project Antarctica exploring topics relating to the environment, politics, autonomy, habitat, mobility and relationships among peoples. For the artists, Antarctica represents Utopia: a continent whose extreme climate imposes mutual aid and solidarity. The immaculate ice landscape is a filter for the kaleidoscope that make up our nations and multi-ethnic identities, concentrating the colours, races and creeds into the sum of light, and a vision of Hope.

Passport offices are constructed with reclaimed wood and found objects including boats, water recipients, suitcases, toys, that tower and bulge over rudimentary structures synonymous with the shanty town and border crossings that artists have traversed in some of remotest corners of the planet. From the passport office are delivered printed editions of the Antarctica World Passport, now totaling 72,000 copies. The passport office at the Maif Social Club was presented at the Pirelli Hangar Bicocca in Milan, Italy for the artists’ survey exhibition in 2008. Since, iterations have been created for museum exhibitions and United Nation forums on climate change and migration.

The MAIF Social Club have commissioned the 7th edition of the passport. For further details about the passport editions and registration process click here.