Barack Obama is the super star of the moment. And contemporary art took note of it transforming his image into subject matter (both as image and as a issue toward which reflect on the present time) for today’s production.
Few hours ago CNN published this article online on the intervention by the Cuban-born American artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada in Madrid. The artist claims that “The size of the piece is intrinsic to its value.” And in his dossier about the work – titled “Expectatio” – he broaden the discourse: “Obama’s personality — his youth, personal history and message of a new politics — has fused with the historical moment to create someone larger than life.” Furthermore, he states that the huge size alludes also “to the global impact of this election”.
In a changing world, now that – in this 2008 American election – we can expect to have a huge flow as never before, are going to vote; that for the first time there is a black man candidate for the US presidency, and a white woman as vice president (Sara Palin for the Republican Party) politics has returned to be a creative issue. And it is expressed in the shape of this year’s Democratic candidate. His silhouette, then, becomes an evocative message to be displayed in great dimension either covering down a building facade or, as in Rodriguez-Gerada as a huge portrait (139.28 meters long by 82.67 wide) to be desplayed just the day before the elections. Almost as to say: we need an icon, in which to trust, recognisable from its outline .
Easily, memories of other famouse shilouettes of the past come to mind…(Mao in Warhol portraits, just to mention one)

It has been a week since I am thinking to write something about the current show at Hangar Bicocca and Spazio Oberdan in Milan. Since I haven’t had time yet to go and see the show myself, I just post the link to the exhibiting spaces hoping to fine some time to see the show, and get my personal impressions of the actual pieces on show.

I quite like Alfredo Jaar even if he struggles me with his pieces. Impossible to remain immune by the spreading virus of awareness!

Hangar Bicocca

Spazio Oberdan (The show in this space will close on Jan 25, 2009)

Turner Prize creates debate. It is unavoidable, and, to a certain extent, even necessary. Such is contemporary art: It means discussion, and creates discussion through its provocation.
Once again this autmn four contemporay artists have been shortlisted for Britain main prize for contemporary expression. Far too many good (and also less excellent) writers, critics, journalists, and experts have been writing on the artists, the choices of the curators, the pieces selected. Thus, better not add words to the words – since, moreover, I haven’t got the chance to see the actual installations…yet.
The whole system of the Prize is quite self-referential: British contemporary art in Britain. Thus, that is one of the biggerst stage for today’s expression. Lukily even if you are not in the City – and you want to waste some time scrolling online articles – you can easyly follow the debate. It is time consuming but still with just few clicks you can keep informed, watch slideshows of the works, and even take video-tours (here one published on the Guardian online.)

The prize online
Installing the exhibition
If you don’t know what the Turner prize is….click the link!
The four artist shortlisted:
Runa Islam
Mark Lackey
Goshka Macuga
Cathy Wilkes

While the American economy id dealing with one of the, probalby, bigger crisis of the past 150 years, art faces the consequences.

An recent article by Katya Kazakina -  a little bit too essential and not exhaustive – points out one of the visible effects of the crisis transferred into art collecting. I am not so sure that the compartment will suffer the events extensively but surely the general trembling certanity od American economy it is having certain evidences.

Art collecting, after all, is a luxury that charm the higer-up society that are differently interested by the crisis.  The issue is then to be referred most to those art lovers that do not handle the crazy sums contemporary art “masters” have achieved. And buy supposed prospective art-superstars for few thousands dollars not mostly as an investments but rather because “they like that piece.”  This goes under the a  cultural model that is not used to the concept of saving. (But in front of the recent events, what good is saving?)
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Update: October 8th, 2008
There are no good news for contemporary art collectors recently. Andrew Davies of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors underlines how “The contemporary art sector has rocketed over the past few years, with a sudden correction now a strong possibility.” – Report by Simon Bowers published on the Guardian.

Adrian Paci (Albanian artist born in 1969) won this year’s Rome Quadriennale. I recently saw his work at Mart in Rovereto in the show Eurasia curated by Achille Bonito Oliva. Among (few) other moving pieces his recent video Temporary Shelter Center worth the view. This time again the artist from Albania, now living and working in Milan, is dealing with the representation of peculiar human’ conditions. The staged (and digitalised) story reproduces a pretty common experience for travellers: people standing up in line to get on a plane. But as soon as the camera widens the view the reality becomes wierd and unique. There is no plane at all. And the queue is made only of male immigrants standing still at the end of the stairway.
In Paci’s works there is often a new definition of the identity both of individuals and population (usually marginalised), and often the issue of migratory processes is implied. There is an unspoken sense of threat that brings together people in the need to move from their homeland in search for opportunities. (Or even, more frequently, emigrating in order to survive.)
The artist reflects and expresses concepts linked to a certain sense of home, human relations that become personal details as well as parts of a common experiences of life. In Temporary Shelter Center he takes the idea of immigration, and he explores it thorugh evocative (and provocative!) moments of the actual journey toward the “promised land.”
Through his works the artist is telling us his personal story as an immigrant. In some way through the aesthetics of his characters he is searching his roots, and reproducing momoires he is recovering from his parting.

“Possiamo dire che l’architettura che noi vorremmo essere poesia dovreb­be chiamarsi armonia, come un bellissimo viso di donna. Ci sono forme che esprimono qualche cosa. L’architettura è un linguaggio molto difficile da comprendere – è misterioso, a differenza delle altre arti, della musica in particolare, più direttamente comprensibili… Il valore di un’opera consiste nella sua espressione – quando una cosa è espressa bene, il suo valore diviene molto alto.” (Carlo Scarpa, 1976)

Carlo Scarpa was born in 1906 in Venice and died 30 yeras ago. Curiously I first bumped into his works that celebrate the death in which he managed to achieve a high level of beautiness before knowing his other realisations.
There are places – as his cemeteries or tombs or even, let’s call them so, architectonic elements – that help us experience a peculiar moment of quieteness and reflection, and that perfeclty exemplify his say: “the value of an artwork consists in its expression – when it is well expressed, its value becomes really high.“
Easily the solemnity and magnificence of burial grounds’ entrances make us silent and meditative.
I had thouhgt about those places-non places also during O’AIR this past summer conversations I had with Heldi Pema. The Albanese artist gave me an interesting point about Milan’s Cimitero Monumentale: it represents an open air sculpture museum (or rather a sculpture park – a part from its use as place for the eternal rest.) But who consider it as such? Who ever goes there primarily to take a tour through the statues? The prerspectives? The architectures? I have never passed through those gates myself. Not even once (no matter how, I put it in my “places to see once in a lifetime” for the next time I’ll have some free time in Milan.)
However, the walking – consciously! – in a burial ground unquestionably awakens a certain awe, a respect that has to do with some Western (Christian?) culture and approach to death. I am not able to make further comments about it but it is true that most of the time we are too occupied to deal with the whole sensation we perceive, and the purpose that bring us to those places for-the-eternal-rest that we don’t even consider the experience of beautiness created for those who are gone. (Usually, it has to be said, not expressly designed to pleasure those who are alive…)

The magazine Wallpaper recently published its fashion shoot in Scarpa’s Brion-Vega Cemetery near Treviso, Italy.
Have a look.

Polish artist Peter Fuss spoke out. US are to experience past history once again: as it happened to J. F. Kennedy, Lincon, M. L. King and Malcom X, the candidate for the Democratic Party is to be killed. Fuss is known for his iconic (rather than ironic), sometimes debunking messages written and designed on billbords, for his “For the Laugh of God” the cheap reproduction (“cheap Polish labour”) of Damien Hirst’sFor the Love of God, the most expensive artwork ever realised, and his Santo subito, multiple (mass) reproduction of Pope John Paul II.
This time the main story tells the possible (in Fuss’s view quite inescapable) death of Barak Obama. Or better say, the artist is crying out the lament “Who killed Barack Obama?“, underlining in his own worlds the notion of the “global thought of Obama’s unavoidable death.” The work describes the sense of fear with a news-like style using only black, white, and gray, and in a way represents the power of the visual conditioning. Fuss is immortalizing the moment of an event not even yet happened, as if it was an actual document of a archive of the past. And there is no way out.
(Here an interesting selection of works by Fuss)

<img src=I spent few days in Riva del Garda (TN) to attend the event VeDrò. I hoped to have the chance to visit Manifesta 7 (here the locations) but did not managed to. I have to wait until September 12, when I will be again in Riva for the BlogFest 2008. (I hope to be able to attend the MARTcamp scheduled on Friday 12th at Rovereto’s contemporary art museum.)
Not everybody living in the neighbourhood consider the biennal art event an opportunity. Some consider this reunion of super-contemporary art expressions something just for fans of the genre. Then there should not be an intent to bring contemporary art to the masses.
Actually, is Manifesta bringing newlty into the cities involvedattempting to draw new spectators to the spectacle of the newst art expressions, or is it merely exploring new ways to show the spectacle ofthe newst art expressions ? (Are we really dealing with a spectacle?)

As a tale, the description of the genesis of a work or series of works, is passionately narrated if it is told by the very hand who drawn the piece.
The memoires of a lived experience – as simple as it can be – traces an history that in reality is condensed in seconds – or even in thousandth of seconds – but opens the imagination to a variety of possible other histories or stories. And then to other, and other again…..in a possibly endless series of associations.

Here are quotes of some artist’s words regarding their “best shot” questioned by Leo Benedictus: Jonathan Anderson and Edwin Low; Jamshid Bayrami; Ed Ruscha; Alessandra Sanguinetti; Alec Soth.

I have been writing for Italian newspapers and magazines since I was 17. I have talked about oddities or – what I like most – on issues related to the arts, and – what allows me to feel I am a part of the contemporary art system – reviewing art shows. Interestingly often I pervceived the sense that I was not being given the right space for my considerations on paper: either I was given too few carachters, or too much!
A part from the issue of words conut, another focus of my daily reflections (since this is the time of the month when I have to produce a certain amout of articles and reviews, and I find myself struggling on which expression to use to save characters, or the thought to erase not to be repetitive) regards my experience as a art writer. I cannot consider myself a professional art critic, and considering the experiment that recently took place on the Guardian I wonder wether anyone can become a interesting art-writer?
Have I been influenced by the experiment published by the Guardian that took place recently?
Here the link: sports writers talk about art!
“This artist is deeply dangarous”