Venice - The first Roma Pavilion will open at the 52nd Venice Biennale on June 7, 2007.  The Pavilion, located on the piano nobile of the 16th-century Palazzo Pisani Santa Marina, Calle delle Erbe, in the Canareggio district, will feature the premiere of “Paradise Lost,” an exhibition featuring the work of sixteen contemporary Roma artists representing eight European countries. At 6:00 p.m., following the grand opening festivities, there will be a panel discussion involving European cultural and political leaders, including Roma artists and commentators.  They will address some of the fundamental questions and controversy inherent in this first Biennale Pavilion created along ethnic lines: Is a separate Roma Pavilion necessary?  Is there such a thing as “Roma art”?  Does creating a separate space for Roma artists help or hinder social inclusion?

World renowned film director Wim Wenders sees the Pavilion as an opportunity “to correct our image of the largest minority in Europe, which is still shaped by Gypsy romance and Gypsy kitsch.”  For centuries, Roma people have been romanticized by non-Roma artists, who have conjured up images of barefoot dancers happily banging on tambourines.  At the same time, works created by Roma artists have been relegated to the level of kitsch by mainstream European arbiters of culture.  The ultimate goal of ‘Paradise Lost’ is to destroy the exotic stereotype of the “Gypsies” that has been prevalent in Europe since the 19^th century and to put Roma artists on an equal footing in the international art world.

 According to Tímea Junghaus, curator of the exhibition, “It is our belief that the identity of the Roma serves as a model for a modern, European transnational identity that is capable of cultural fusion and adaptation to changing circumstances.  This is how the invited artists represent themselves, and this is how they experience their Gypsy identity.”

The Roma Pavilion, alongside the Biennale's national pavilions, marks the arrival of Roma contemporary culture on the international stage and sends an important message: Roma have a vital role to play in the cultural and political landscape of Europe.