At this year’s Venice Biennale, artist Anton Ginzburg presents At the Back of the North Wind, a multi-media exhibition that chronicles epic journey to discover the mythical land of Hyperborea. Ginzburg uses this journey to find this idyllic, albeit non-existent, location to draw parallels with our day-to-day journeys: our drive to continually pursue something better.
Hyperborea, first mentioned by Herodotus in 450 BC, was reputedly a land of a perfection and a symbol of the golden age of man that was located beyond the North Wind. Claims have been made for its location throughout the northern hemisphere, but primarily in Oregon, St. Petersburg, and Siberia. Over the course of months, Ginzburg and a full production crew traveled from Oregon to St. Petersburg and, finally, to Siberia, to uncover the history and implications of Hyperborea. The result is At the Back of the North Wind, a collection of photographs, paintings, sculptures and video that documents this journey.
At the back of the North Wind opened at the Biennale on June 2 and is presented by Blaffer Art Museum, Flo Art Fund and Artpace, and is curated by Matthew J.W. Drutt. The exhibition is housed in two floors and four rooms of the sixteenth century Palazzo Bollani. On view through November 27, At the Back of the North Wind is not only a series of beautiful pieces, but is an enchanting exploration of mythological archetypes.
