04:37

Thousands of years of (art) history can be a heavy load on your shoulders. Certainly any artist coming to Rome for a short time will be wondering what his/her contribution could be during this period. Is there anything that has not already been done? Manuel Saiz, who lived in Rome as an artist-in-residence, wrote an essay on this, which covers society, language, art and the artist. On the banks of the Tiber, near a viaduct over which traffic is racing in the dusk, runners are approaching one by one. These nine men and women are artists-in-residence. Each one recites the text in his/her native language. Sic Transit is Saiz’s personal response to the way in which Rome received him, and is a reflection on (the originality of) art.