avid Dalla Venezia (Venedig)
Dangerous Books
Let us bear in mind that human consciousness is shaped by its knowledge, which enables understanding through sight and perception.

For centuries this knowledge has been passed down through books, which form a bridge between the past and the present.

The entire history of humankind, the conflict between good and evil, between freedom and repression, between love and hate, has been documented in word and image on their pages.

The books in this room are intended as an inspiration and challenge: an inspiration to accept the marvelous and natural occurrence of such tensions, which have driven human existence since the very beginning; a challenge to not take these tensions for granted.

An abundance of red books with white pages—red like the embers that glow within and white cleansed by time and as pure as that which is to come—on a deep, black background—undefined and indefinable foundation. The books fly, do pirouettes and fall into an endless vortex.

In the room there is a selection of books (chosen by the artist) for guests to read. Dating from different periods these are books that search for moments of freedom and truth throughout the course of history.

Titling his work Dangerous Books, David Dalla Venezia honors the fearlessness of his countryman Roberto Saviano, an author who has dedicated his life to disseminating “dangerous books” and who for this reason now lives in constant danger.