Athanor NOW: Echoes of Athanor

a project by Francesca Valentini & Fabrizio Saiu

Echoes of Athanor marks the inaugural collaboration between sound artist Fabrizio Saiu and art historian Francesca Valentini. For this project, the two practitioners work across their respective disciplines to create a site-responsive audio piece in which artistic practice and art-historical research converge.

Developed from an evolving script, Echoes of Athanor weaves together factual material, ekphrastic passages, and reflections on the contemporary resonance of Polke’s Athanor (1986), the project for the German Pavilion that earned him the Golden Lion.

The work unfolds as a multilingual audio performance, blending historical narrative, critical inquiry, and the soundscape of Venice, while incorporating elements drawn from each site in which it is presented.

You are warmly invited to take part in Echoes of Athanor: join a group of 20 participants from around the world for a 20-minute sound walk. Headphones will be provided on site.

Part of Sigmar Polke: Athanor NOW, a project by the Anna Polke Foundation.