Aimée Zito Lema

In Dimension of Absence

Art

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Synopsis

Dimension of Absence

Although she didn’t personally experience the last Argentinian military junta (1976-1983), Argentinian-Dutch visual artist Aimée Zito Lema grew up in the shadow of the violent history that affected her country and family. At a young age, she grew fascinated with archival photographs of people who dared to risk their lives by resisting Jorge Videla’s military regime.

 

On a visit to Buenos Aires, she includes her daughter in a performative art piece in which they embody the past and imagine a new future, showing the way art can function as a medium for memory work across countries and generations.

Credits

Character
Aimée Zito Lema
Director
Sjors Swierstra
Country
Argentina /Netherlands
Duration
15 min
Year
2023
Co-producer
Blackframe
Aimée Zito Lema is commended for her art around collective memory, adding new layers of meaning to historic events.
Portret Aimée Zito Lema

Biography

Aimée Zito Lema

How does our perception of history shape us? What is remembered, what is forgotten and what is passed on? In her work, visual artist Aimée Zito Lema (1982) investigates the mechanisms of social memory. Through extensive research and the use of archival footage, she asks questions about the relationship between the past and the present. Her art often deals with violence and conflict. She observes, questions, and adds poetic layers to historical facts.

Acclaims

  • Solo exhibitions at Mercer Union Toronto (2022) and Calouste Gulbenkian Museum Lisbon (2018)
  • Groupexhibitions: Grazer Kunstverein (2021); MACBA, Barcelona (2017); the 11th Gwangju Biennial (2016); and Centre Pompidou, Paris (2016)
  • Artist in residence at Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten (2015-2016) and Eye Filmmuseum (2018-2019)

Click here for the website of Aimée Zito Lema  ↗

Bonusfilm

This Is Where We Meet

In the summer of 2021, Aimée Zito Lema presented Here Is Where We Meet, an art installation in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam that explores the traces of resistance in the building. Sjors Swierstra, the director of Dimension of Absence, made an additional film about this artwork.

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"We think that history is fixed, but we can certainly discover new perspectives."Read the interview with Aimée Zito Lema by former Oude Kerk director Jacqueline Grandjean.
Fotografie uit de Oude Kerk
Fotografie in de Oude Kerk

Remembrance, Truth, and Justice.

In Argentina, Aimée Zito Lema made extensive use of the National Archive of Remembrence. This public institution preserves and opens up all kinds of documents related to the human rights violations that took place during the civic-military dictatorship of 1976-1983. This archive was established in 2003 as part of the Remembrance, Truth, and Justice Act.

SCREENINGS & REACH
Special Mention Award
On Art 2023
Impact Award
Fine Arts Film Festival 2024

Premiere and film festivals
The premiere of Dimension of Absence took place at the Go Short Film Festival in Nijmegen in 2023. In addition, the film was screened during the Ammodo Docs launch at Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam. Since April 2023, the film has travelled the international festival circuit, where it received, among other recognitions, the Impact Award at The Fine Arts Film Festival in Los Angeles, United States. At On Art, a travelling festival featuring open-air screenings in more than ten cities across Poland, the film received the Special Mention Award. Other festivals include:

  • Festival International du Film sur l’Art (FIFA), Montreal, Canada
  • Master of Art Film Festival, Sofia, Bulgaria
  • St. Louis International Film Festival, St. Louis, United States

Partner screenings
Dimension of Absence was broadcast on the Dutch public television channels NPO2 and NPO2 Extra via NTR. The film is also available to stream on NPO Start.

In addition, the film continues to reach audiences beyond the festival circuit and television screenings through collaborations with cultural institutions, streaming platforms and educational organisations that have included the film in their programming, including:

  • Eye Film Player
  • FIFA Montreal, platform ARTS.FILM
  • Kunstenlab, Deventer, The Netherlands
  • Streaming platform Labocine
  • Streaming service IkonoTV
Aimée Zito Lema and her daughter at the launch of Ammodo Docs in 2023

Director

  • Portret Sjors Swierstra

    Sjors Swierstra

    As a curator and director, Sjors Swierstra (1982) develops projects in the fields of film, photography, and modern art. His documentary The World According to Monsieur Khiar was nominated for a Golden Calf and the Prix Europa. Het Voorval (The Incident) – The myth of Armando was released in cinemas in 2018 and broadcast by NTR.

Curious for more?Watch visual artist Ibrahim Mahama in Dear Home of Scars