In this video Indonesian artist Eddy Susanto talks about his work for his solo show in Venice. Called “Allegory of Hell, from Borobudur to Dante from July 28th to September 4th at GAD, Giudecca Art District. The exhibition was sponsored by Artsociates, and I co-curated it with Valentina Levy.
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One of the most recognised contemporary Mongolian artists, Mugi has presented at the Venice Biennale a show titled “A Journey Through Vulnerability” exploring the concept of samsara, compassion, and healing.
I have interviewed the artist at the Mongolian Pavilion in Venice for CoBo Social.
Hong-Kong based website and platform for collectors CoBo Social has just published my review of the Southeast Asian Pavilions at the 2019 Venice Biennale. I looked at the different national propositions with interest and a bit of a critical eye as well.
Here is the link to the review
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The Australian webmagazine RAVEN has just published my interview with Melbourne artist Sam Leach. I met Sam at Palazzo Bembo, in Venice, and we talked about the artist’s work in Personal Structures, a collateral exhibition to the Venice Biennale.
Here’s the link to the article
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The Australian webmagazine RAVEN has just published my interview with Melbourne artist Penny Byrne. I met Penny at Palazzo Franchetti, in Venice, and we talked about the artist’s work in Glasstress, an official Biennale satellite exhibition.
Here’s the link to the article
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Coming back from Australia, I decided to see the Venice Biennale before it ends.
Maybe it was not the greatest Biennale ever, but there are some artworks worth talking about. Here you are, my personal list of favourites:
- Arthur Bispo do Rosario
I didn’t know about this incredible Brazilian artist before. Apparently he spent fifty years confined to the attic of a psychiatric institution because he started telling people about his visions. In the institution he started making art not with the idea of becoming an artist, but for his own eternal salvation. His work was first shown at the Venice Biennale in 1995 and now he is exhibiting again at the Arsenal.
I have always been attracted by work that relates with paganism, religion and folk tradition. His clusters of waste material, paper, wood and rags are just beautiful. His installations look like toys or fetishes.
I came to know about the young Indonesian artist Oky Rey Montha from his solo show at Primo Marella Gallery in Milan and I’ll end up interviewing him for my book on contemporary art in Indonesia.
He seems to be the kinky and eccentric kink of artist that loves to get lost in his imagination.
With a dark, tim burtonian look and emo hair and makeup he’s directly out from one of his paintings.
His work reminds me of the pop-surrealism trend and is inspired by comics. Asian market sought this kind of paintings; at the same time Oky himself seems not to care too much about the market.
I look at him as a symbol of his generation that isn’t bother anymore with tradition and Wayang Puppets, but it’s more into pop and fantasy realms.
At the same time he knows how to take advantages of the web and he’s launching is own clothes collection called “Piratez” on facebook and on the blogosphere. He’s also an indie musician and loves to make drum performances during the exhibition openings.
Ecco cosa vedete, nascosti dietro al vetro a specchio.
In una stanza metafisica, bianca come uno spazio espositivo, io e l’artista Valentina De’ Mathà ci sediamo ad un tavolo candido, sul quale è adagiato un niveo foglio.
Io scrivo una domanda, e in silenzio passo il foglio a Valentina. Lei scrive la risposta, piega la parte superiore della carta in modo che non sia leggibile e mi ripassa il foglio.
Alla ventesima domanda Valentina si alza ed esce. Anche io faccio lo stesso, ma prima apro il foglio e ve lo attacco, dal verso leggibile, al vetro specchio.
C’è scritto questo:
Cosa c’è sotto?
Il caso che non esiste.
Perché vivi in Svizzera?
All’inizio perché ho improvvisamente sentito la necessità di staccarmi dall’Italia e soprattutto da Roma, verso la quale avevo un attaccamento morboso. Quindi, al culmine di questa morbosità, ho deciso di tagliare il cordone ombelicale e fuggire via senza guardarmi indietro, ma soprattutto perché mi sono resa conto, con estrema lucidità e amarezza, che l’ Italia non sarebbe stata in grado di darmi le opportunità professionali, il sostegno e i confronti di cui avevo bisogno, e che avrei trovato solo viaggiando.
Non era mio obiettivo trasferirmi in Svizzera, anzi, ma dieci giorni prima di partire verso Berlino ho conosciuto Roger Weiss, fotografo svizzero, colui che poi è diventato mio marito.
Ho visto artisti che sulla carta d’identità hanno scritto “artigiano”, tu invece?
Ho solo il passaporto.
L’hai mai persa la carta d’identità?
Mai.
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