Appropriating the lyrics of the classic Gershwin song, ‘Let’s call the whole thing off,’ Slavs and Tatars proposes a re-reading of the comic track, sung by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in Shall We Dance?. Here, the contention focuses not on  seemingly innocent words such as ‘tomato’ or ‘banana’, but rather on terminology that touches the very issues preoccupying Europeans today: immigration, identity, self-determination. In an area that has its share of experience dealing with such polemics, South Tyrol is an ideal setting for a public celebration of contention, as opposed to the often consensual approach advocated by those in power.

2008
4 x 6.40 m canvas on Via Galilei, Bolzano.
Parallel Events Manifesta 7, Lungomare.