FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tadej Pogacar and P.A.R.A.S.I.T.E. Museum of Contemporary Art
49.Venice Biennale, Venice 2001, CODE:RED.

CODE:RED (1999 - 2004) is a project which investigates and discusses aspects of prostitution and sex work as a specific form of parallel economy. It used real and virtual spaces and takes the form of an open dialog between artists, sex workers and the public. The cooperation consist of activism, public interventions and actions, media viruses and performances. CODE:RED project intends above all to give an introduction to the economic and political ideas to new social practices and artistic applications. It is a model of cognitive mapping that gives sex workers - among the most marginalised and deprived population groups in the urban environment - a chance to speak out and be seen in new context. Sex work can no longer be viewed as a local or national phenomenon; it is international, involving multi-cultural groups and it is global. Sex industry is a vital source of income for many non-nationals who are excluded from the formal economy or otherwise unable adequately to support themselves. Sex worker's vulnerability to human and labour rights violations is greater than of others because of the stigma and criminal charges widely attached to sex work. Prostitution and sex work should be protected, regarded and classified as informal, parallel economy with all rights. P.A.R.A.S.I.T.E. Museum of Contemporary Art is specially interested in research of analogues economic models: those of isolated groups, social minorities, marginal societies etc.

I. World Congress of Sex Workers and New Parasitism, Venezia 2001
I. World Congress of Sex Workers and New Parasitism is a part of the CODE:RED project concived by P.A.R.A.S.I.T.E. Museum of Contemporary Art and will take place in Venice in the frame of the 49. Venice Bienial between June 6th and June 10th 2001.
The Congress is organized in close collaboration with Comitato per I Diritti Civili delle Prostitute from Pordenone, Italy.
We invited activists, sexual workers, organizations, prostitutes from Italy and from all continents of the World. The Congress will bring a platform for discussion and actions on various themes and
topics such as:
-human rights and sex work
-globalization and sex work practices
-parallel economies
-strategies in documenting sex workers.
There will be a printed special guide on this occasion, a newspaper SEX WORKER, with all information about pareticipants, events and locations.

Locations
1. Padiglione dei Sex Worker
The Congress will take place in the tent (PdSW) located near Giardini.
2. Pavillion of the Republic of Slovenia, Gallery A+A, Calle Malipiero 3073, /near Palazzo Grassi/
will present project Absolute One with works by 0100101110101101.org, V. Cosic and Tadej Pogacar.
3. Public actions on different locations in Venice.

P.A.R.A.S.I.T.E. Press