Traduttore, Traditore brings together a group of artists from around the world who employ translation processes to expose, question, and challenge global circuits of economic and cultural capital. In the wake of the current political climate, it has become increasingly evident that uninhibited travel, communication, and trade are available to a privileged few. Emerging from this context, the exhibition uses translation as a means of exploring the change—of language, customs, currency, and even memory—that occurs when people cross borders. Shaped by their specific cultural history and geographic location, each artist offers a unique perspective on the difficulties of translation in the so-called global world. Taken from the Italian aphorism that roughly translates to “translator, traitor,” the title of this project speaks to the misunderstandings, losses, and fragmentation that manifest during this process of exchange. Traduttore, Traditore therefore considers how artists navigate and expose issues of difference, and proposes translation as a method to understand contemporary artistic practices.

Bani Abidi, Arturo Hernández Alcázar, Carlos Arias, Luis Camnitzer, Alejandro Cesarco, Bethany Collins, Brendan Fernandes, Dora García, Emily Jacir, Katia Kameli, Harold Mendez, Paulo Nazareth, Sherwin Ovid, Michael Rakowitz, Raqs Media Collective, Emilio Rojas, Thamotharampillai Shanaathanan, Edra Soto, and Stephanie Syjuco