ART & EXHIBITIONS
Going to visit the 56th Art Biennale in Venice? Don’t forget to drop at the Italian Pavilion curated by Vincenzo Trione. Promise! You’ll find there really intriguing works of contemporary Italian art.
At the very end of the Arsenale complex, beyond the main hall and near the picturesque Venetian-style portico sinking into the blue water, you will find a set of thrilling and unusual works entitled together “Codice Italia”.
The pavilion’s heading – “The Italian Code” – speaks for itself. The exhibition researches on the genetic code of the Italian style within the contemporary art universe. Thus, the selected projects illustrate how the desire to experiment as well as artists’ modern ideas and tastes interlace with the DNA of Italian cultural heritage. The artists’ will to renovate and, at the same time, to stay faithful to the local identity is, in fact, red between the lines.
(1) Perhaps the most fascinating installation on display is the Marizia Migliora’s “Stilleven” (2015). This work is an optical illusion that aims to rethink the genre of still life with an original and poetic strength.
(2) Elegant and subtle Francesco Barocco’s “Untitled” face made of clay and graphite (2015) is another work that captures visitor’s attention. Inspired by the history of Italian art, Barocco’s sculpture reinterprets in the modern key archetypal elements taken from ancient iconographies.
(3) “Triumphs and Laments” by William Kentridge is a set of drawings for Piazza Tevere in Rome that the South African artist has prepared for the Italian capital. The whole graphics collection is presented at the Italian Pavilion’s hall headed “Tribute to Italy”.
(4) “Le member fantome” (2015) by Vanessa Beecroft is a striking and outrageous installation of three bronze sculptures, various marble figures and bases. The scene is visible only at a distance through a thin slit between the two marble slabs blocking the entrance. The numerous carelessly scattered objects are the tributes to the early twentieth century Avan-Garde. The installation appears to be artist’s personal collection of memories, historical and artistic impressions and inspirations.
(5) “Untitled” (2015) by Mimmo Paladino is an entrancing installation envisioning a solitary human figure at the center and embraced by a speedy graphics. This works is a artist’s modern understanding of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man”.
(6) “Lienzo” (2014) by Nicola Samori is one of the three paintings presented by the artist at the Italian Pavilion. Each of the three appears as a classic Renaissance or Baroque icon underwent a process of violent deformation or distortion. The artist, in fact, sees the paintings as a skin to flay. Through a brutal act he tries to bring out a sort of naked emotional truth.
So these and many other works of art on display will help you to understand better the Italian spirit and to dive into the atmosphere of contemporary art showcased within evocative walls of ancient Venice.
Maria Novozhilova
e-mail: novozhilovam.blog@gmail.com
twitter: @NovozhilovaM
