IDENTIS

IDENTIS 
exhibition 31/08 - 24/09/2023, CFZ - Venice

View from inside of water mill external structure, Umayyad site of Al-Mafjar Jericho, Palestine

Shards of the Past 
Tracing the shared stories of social ties from Roman Sardinia to the present day

Shards of the Past is a collaborative exhibition that springs from IDENTIS, a research project that employs archaeology to investigate how people used social relationships to shape their personal and group identities both in ancient and modern times.

A collaborative journey

Museum of Broken Relationships

This exhibition brings together ancient archaeological exhibits from Roman-period Sardinia and contemporary exhibits from the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, as well as artifacts from the profession of archaeologists.

Through this juxtaposition of objects from different times and contexts, we aim to: giving relevance to everyday objects usually overlooked in traditional historical narratives; reconstruct the microhistories of lesser-known women and men who have been overshadowed by the dominant narratives that too frequently focus on masculine elites. Our focus lies on the subalterns and their social relationships, as well as their physical bodies, as sites of power, creative action, memory, and resistance. Join us in this journey through time to witness more collective, diverse, inclusive histories.

Antiquity and today

On display are photographs, drawings, and 3D reproductions of artifacts from Roman period Sardinia, including objects that reflect the daily lives of enslaved individuals and other subaltern groups such as peasants, alongside objects from the Museum of Broken Relationships that represent the impact of societal norms and power dynamics on intimate relationships, such as the this coin from Alta, Norway. We also showcase objects used daily by archaeologists, such as these muddy boots, highlighting both their contributions to the field, and the challenges they face in recovering the material signs of the past.