Program
Ragazzi di Strada / Perchè perchè la domenica mi lasci sempre sola per andare a vedere la partita dell’Unione
Graphics, subcultures and psychogeographic practices in Venetian football fandom, curated by Ragazzi di Strada.
Exhibition opening, Thursday August 29th, 5pm
August 30th–September 8th, Tuesday–Sunday, 2–6pm
In a social context dominated by tourism, football is one of the few spontaneous forms of gathering and ways of experiencing the social urban texture of the Venetian lagoon.
The history of Venezia FC, or Unione VeneziaMestre, as it is known to its fans, is marked by the changing identities and various owners that have defined it over the past four decades, punctuated by bankruptcies and resurrections. Like the city, the club and its fans, are the result of a complex of social, cultural, political, and geographical layers and transformations.
Following the 'unione' or merger of the two local football clubs, Calcio Venezia and Mestre, in 1987, the 'curva' and the 'Ultras' occupying it during the matches have been the point of convergence of the multiple social and cultural facets of Venezia, Mestre, and Marghera.
The ephemera, chants, and graffiti of the Ultras have thus become instruments of resistance and defense of an identity that is not only sporting and athletic but also urban and social.
As part of the summer residency at Ca'Buccari, Ragazzi di Strada spent a month researching the unspoken links between youth culture, graphic design and football fandom in relation to Unione VeneziaMestre.
The results are presented in the exhibition 'Perchè perchè la domenica mi lasci sempre sola per andare a vedere la partita dell'Unione', coinciding with the first home match of the Serie A season of Venezia FC against Torino, 30.08.2024.
*''Perchè perchè la domenica mi lasci sempre sola per andare a vedere la partita dell'Unione' / ‘Why do you always leave me alone on Sundays to go to the Union game'. Adapted from Rita Pavone - La partita di pallone (1962).
Ultras is the name of the macro-subculture, the group of football fans who occupy the 'curva' space in the stadium.
The term "Curva" is used as a collective term for the people who occupy it. It is the specific area of the stadium where they gather and support their team during matches. The Ultras are the most vocal supporters.
Ragazzi di Strada is a participative archive and art practice dedicated to studying and researching urban subcultures and rebellious youth styles in Italy from a visual and sociological perspective.
In their work Ragazzi di Strada bridges archival and academic research with curatorial, editorial, and artistic practices to investigate Italian youth– and subcultures.
Ragazzi di Strada's projects are based upon territoriality, studying and re-elaborating unspoken connections and trajectories unfolding between a geographical space, its social groups, and local culture. They are currently investigating design, ethnomusicology, and psychogeography applied to football culture.
For their residency at Ca'Buccari, Ragazzi di Strada will focus on the culture of the Ultras, the notorious supporters of Venezia FC, the Venetian football club with its stadium just behind Ca'Buccari.
Founded in 2018 by journalist and researcher Lorenzo Ottone, Ragazzi di Strada is now run in collaboration with journalist Camilla Rocca and designer and architect Beatrice Bozzano.
Ragazzi di Strada has previously collaborated with and contributed to projects by Fondazione Prada, i-D, and Radio Raheem. Their publications have been selected for international independent publisher salons, including abC – Art Books in China and Sprint Milano.
In their work Ragazzi di Strada bridges archival and academic research with curatorial, editorial, and artistic practices to investigate Italian youth– and subcultures.
Ragazzi di Strada's projects are based upon territoriality, studying and re-elaborating unspoken connections and trajectories unfolding between a geographical space, its social groups, and local culture. They are currently investigating design, ethnomusicology, and psychogeography applied to football culture.
For their residency at Ca'Buccari, Ragazzi di Strada will focus on the culture of the Ultras, the notorious supporters of Venezia FC, the Venetian football club with its stadium just behind Ca'Buccari.
Founded in 2018 by journalist and researcher Lorenzo Ottone, Ragazzi di Strada is now run in collaboration with journalist Camilla Rocca and designer and architect Beatrice Bozzano.
Ragazzi di Strada has previously collaborated with and contributed to projects by Fondazione Prada, i-D, and Radio Raheem. Their publications have been selected for international independent publisher salons, including abC – Art Books in China and Sprint Milano.