Scotland + Venice presents Rachel Maclean’s Spite Your Face

Rachel Maclean is the artist representing Scotland at the 57th Venice Biennale with the new film “Spite Your Face: A Dark Venetian Fairytale”.

The work is a critique of contemporary post truth political rhetoric. Written during Brexit and Donald Trump ascendency, the film is inspired by the Italian folktale The Adventures of Pinocchio, exploring dubious languages used to increase personal power.

The artist employed green-screen techniques, custom prosthetics, costume, and voice actors to create fantastic and disturbed visions. Taking Cindy Sherman, Paul McCarthy and Barbara Kruger as starting points, Maclean interprets all the characters and works directly in post-production.

Dealing with identity, economy, society, connectivity and morality Spite Your Face reveals the power dynamics of our globalised world, provoking a personal reflection.

Scotland + Venice, founded in 2003 to promote Scottish best contemporary art, is hosted for the fist time in the deconsecrated church of Santa Caterina in Cannaregio. Originally established by political-areligious power, the location is the ideal context for Maclean’s work, reflecting on conscience and power in the 21st century.