Curating a Second Life by Daniele Balit :: October 26, 2007; 8:00 pm :: press to exit project space, Maksim Gorki 19 (Embassy of Switzerland), MK-1000 Skopje :: +389 2 3103 374 :: Office: Vasil Gjorgov 28/4, MK-1000 Skopje :: T: +389 2 3228 594 :: presstoexit [at] on.net.mk

The word “avatar” derives from the Sanskrit term Avatāra, meaning “incarnation” and today, it commonly designates the identity assumed for exploring virtual worlds and online communities such as Second Life. The avatar is not only a tool or a threshold to the virtual, but often becomes an incarnation of desires. It represents the will to be different or, at least, the illusion of holding the threads of existence. At this point, the boundaries between ‘the virtual’ and perceived realities start to become very porous.

The lecture will introduce Daniele Balit’s curatorial practice and will focus on Second Night, an exhibition curated together with the French artist Christophe Bruno, for the recent Nuit Blanche (White Night) in Paris. As part of the lecture artworks by Yona Friedman, Claude Closky, Miltos Manetas, Andreas Angelidakis, Alain della Negra and Kaori Kinoshita will be presented and discussed.

Daniele Balit (Rome, 1976) is a freelance curator and art critic based in Paris. He is a PHD researcher at La Sorbonne with a research on the intersections between sound based art and experimental music. He is a founding member of 1:1 projects, established in January 2006, which functions as a platform for cultural production based in Rome and London.
1:1 projects are devoted to promote art projects, artists and artistic practices. Balit has developed projects and collaborations with different institutions, including Fondazione Pistoletto (Biella), Palais de Tokyo (Paris), CNEAI (Paris), Careof (Milan), NICC and MUHKA (Antwerp). He is currently a guest of the Visiting Curatorial Initiative (VCI) programme at press to exit project space.