For the exhibition Casa M by Aida Kidane, the Kunsthalle Arbon has been bathed in turquoise light – an effect created by colored foils on the windows. For Aida Kidane, turquoise is a color rich in symbolism, inseparably tied to her birthplace Asmara. It evokes in her a subjective sense of memory of that city, accentuating her personal perspective and perception.
Eritrea was under Italian colonial rule from 1890 to 1941. Particularly in the 1930s, numerous modernist buildings emerged, ranging from Rationalism and Futurism to Art Déco, designed and realized by Italian architects. Inscribed within Asmara’s architectural heritage are both the achievements of modernity and the violent suppression of local building traditions. The years of Italian rule brought Eritrea modern infrastructure but also social divisions that persist to this day.
Aida Kidane’s exhibition is an immersive installation engaging with the complex relationship between colonial history, architecture, and personal memory. Several photographs depict architecturally symbolic sites in Asmara, captured by the artist herself. The works are composed so that multiple layers of meaning and narrative appear superimposed. They resemble X-rays, reflecting the artist’s analytical yet subjective gaze on Asmara’s architecture.
Among the buildings shown are Futurist structures such as the Fiat Tagliero gas station; Rationalist landmarks including the Farmacia Centrale or Harnet Avenue – the grand boulevard from the colonial era; and Art Déco architecture like the Bristol Hotel or the Maekel Regional Administration Building. The latter hosted presentations by architects, engineers, and UNESCO representatives that contributed to the successful recognition of Asmara: A Modernist African City as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.
On the opposite wall, a video depicts two Italian construction workers in a barren landscape, excavating the earth with a digger according to a plan they repeatedly consult. Kidane provided them with the blueprint of a house in Asmara. Casa M grew out of an extended artistic and research-based engagement. At its core lies a critique of Mussolini’s unlawful occupation of Eritrea and the colonial-architectural structures tied to it. This investigation is translated into a spatial, visual, and acoustic experience – a form that simultaneously raises historical questions and offers a critical perspective on construction itself.
In a reversal of power relations, Kidane commissions the excavation of Casa M on Italian soil. The men drive stakes into the ground and begin tearing up the earth. The digging itself carries a sense of violence. The destruction intensifies as the two workers, with concentrated, neutral expressions, continue their task. Working into the night, the video becomes increasingly abstract until only the light of a red laser remains visible. Finally, the excavated silhouette is marked with lime. Casa
M emerges embedded in traces of devastation, surrounded by collateral damage scarring the surrounding landscape.
The video is accompanied by a soundscape in which construction noise merges with a piercing whistle. This tone matches the frequency of the tinnitus the artist lives with – an auditory condition that accompanies and permeates every perception.
The act of reversal permeates the entire installation: Casa M is not constructed but cut out of the ground – leaving behind an empty imprint. Absence dominates over presence. The images on the wall appear like negatives or X-rays. And the turquoise light itself alters the viewers’ vision, causing parts of the film to appear in complementary colors.
