The TURNING PAIN INTO POWER exhibition, which Kunst Meran Merano Arte is hosting from October 15, 2022 until January 29, 2023 , highlights the potential of art in awakening and increasing awareness of social and political injustices. The group show presents a selection of artists * who fight different forms of inequity through strong, conscious and creative strategies, addressing issues such as racism, gender-based violence and the fight against discrimination, such as those directed against the LGBTQIA + community.

The exhibition opens with a militant motto written in red letters: “I won't shut up”, which in English means “I won't keep my mouth shut”. Monica Bonvicini 's work refers to freedom of expression, sanctioned by Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which almost expresses the duty to "open one's mouth" and not accept injustices in silence. The annual reports of organizations such as Reporters Without Borders, PEN International or FREEMUSE - defending artistic freedom make it strikingly clear how, in many areas of the world, the right to make one's voice heard continues not to be protected and how to take critical positions. it can even be a source of danger.

In addition to the word, other forms of expression - such as gestures or symbols - can also become signs of collective resistance. Giuseppe Stampone captures a historical moment imprinted in our collective memory by reproducing it with a ballpoint pen: in 1968, during the award ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics, the African American athlete Tommie Smith raises his fist offering the salute of the Black Power movement, a sign against the discrimination of the African American population. After about fifty years, the gesture of kneeling proposed by many athletes * all over the world as an act of solidarity, in relation to the Black Lives Matter movement, is linked to these strategies of peaceful protest.

Installation view: photo Ivo Corrà