guilty grounds

2024.4.4-7.6
​artist：steffi reimers

In collaboration with Foam, the photography museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the Beiqiu Museum of Contemporary Art is honored to present the sixth edition of the Tunnel Project, Guilty Grounds, the conceptual photo project by the artist Steffi Rermers.

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For the project, she travelled to Calabria, southern Italy, to explore the dark side of Calabrian history and the origins and kidnapping practices of the world's most powerful criminal organisation, the 'Ndrangheta. Reimers uses the concept of "Guilty Landscapes" to convey the complexity of this tragic history. She reveals the landscapes of Aspromonte National Park as silent witnesses to the pervasive influence of the 'Ndrangheta. Landscapes that were once untouched and peaceful now resonate with memories of events that have subtly left their mark. In a region where the mafia and its activities are often denied, Guilty Grounds is a powerful reminder of a shocking part of Italian history, confronting the viewer with the uncomfortable truth. In this project, Reimers' choice to exclude human figures from her images is evident, which emphasises the landscapes all the more as both 'guilty' and 'testifying' entities. Each image bears silent witness to the events in Calabria and invites the viewer to join in and make their own interpretations.

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The addition of a “prayer card” to the exhibition introduces a duality and highlights the role of faith and crime in the region. Although not the central theme, the prayer card serves to highlight the delicate balance between these two aspects and offers a narrative that invites deeper contemplation. As the geographical perspective of the works shifts from the mountainous regions of southern Italy to the mountain tunnel of Beiqiu, and as the exhibition travels from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Nanjing, China, Reimers' photography will evoke even more imaginings that transcend time and space.