Explosions in the Sky
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Festival Video in Progress 4: Feelings of Distress presents
Solo exhibition
Aldo Giannotti (IT/AT)
Explosions in the Sky
November 8-21, 2011
Photon Gallery, Križevniška ulica 10, Ljubljana
Opening view: Monday, November 7, 2011 at 7 pm
Curated by: Vesna Bukovec, Metka Zupanič (KOLEKTIVA)
Aldo Giannotti, Ciclo Continuo, 2011, still
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The main characteristic of Aldo Giannotti’s works is the deconstruction of iconographic images, representative and semantic clichés as well as stereotypes of various cultural environments. The artist refers to his work as “an experiment to shift paradigms”; he is interested in new and different interpretations of set patterns and established role models. This far, his oeuvre may be considered in two ways: on one hand, Giannotti generates situations and narratives that re-visit social structures, power relations, conflicts of interest, etc. In these stories, he is simultaneously the actor, director and narrator. He is a sort of a contemporary story-teller who uses improvisation, transformation and inscenation through the words, images and sounds of performative video work. One the other hand Giannotti’s art is deeply contemplative, but at the same time socially engaged and produced as a reaction to social and political events in order to clearly and publicly communicate his critical view of the world.
The installation Explosions in the Sky, exhibited at the Photon Gallery, combines two videos and an actual object — two hand grenades carved from marble. The video entitled Ciclo Continuo presents an artistic action in a public space as the artist’s revolt against the social and political situation in which the individual is driven to the point where — totally helpless — they can do nothing but “scream”. Giannotti placed a hand-cranked siren on the balcony of the Palazzo Ducale in Massa (Italy) and invited local inhabitants to vent their feelings and anger through operating the alarm. A symbol of authority and political power, the offices of the Province and Prefecture ‘fall’ in the hands of the populous who are thus able to alert their fellow citizens to the danger of authority (an allusion to the current political situation in Italy).
In the second part of the installation — the video entitled Masclet a crowd of people observe an event. Their initial enthusiasm and fascination transform to apathy due to sounds which become ever more alarming. These noises might well be the sound of explosion and war, though they are actually merely those of a public spectacle — fireworks. The situation resembles the reaction of people while watching the television news, blindly gazing at images which no longer move them to any feeling of a pain, but rather the opposite — media images have become mere images of spectacle. The crowd and their facial expressions make us ask ourselves how the individual can possibly exert any influence on the political and social system in this era of increasing apathy, which is itself symptomatic of the social disease of the modern world. War, suffering and social turmoil happen far away, and we pretend they have nothing to do with us. Through a minimal gesture the artist thus creates an effective sense of ambivalence, and simultaneously leaves to us the possibility of various interpretations of his work. Such an approach is also one of the principal features of Giannotti’s artistic endeavours.
Text by Metka Zupanič
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About the artist
Aldo Giannotti (born in 1977 in Genoa, Italy) has lived and worked in Vienna since 2000. In 2002 he completed the studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti, Carrara, and further enhanced his professional skills in Wimbledon (London) and Munich. He is extremely active in the field of contemporary art, presenting his works and actions at a number of solo and group exhibitions in European cities.
More information
Photon Gallery
Križevniška ulica 10, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Open: Monday – Friday, 11 am – 6 pm
Weekends and festive days closed
tel.: +386 (0)59 977 907
info@photon.si
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Producer: Kolektiva Institute
Coproducer: Photon Gallery/Association
Partners: Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana, Vžigalica Gallery, Kinodvor, Lowave, Paris
Festival is supported by: Municipality of Ljubljana, Department for Culture and Research Activities and Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia
Media partner: Radio Študent
Sponsor: Center projekcije
Thanks: SCCA, Center for Contemporary Arts – Ljubljana, Škuc Gallery
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Contact persons:
Metka Zupanič, Kolektiva Institute
Vesna Bukovec, Kolektiva Institute
www.kolektiva.org | kolektiva@gmail.com
Dejan Sluga, Photon Gallery
www.photon.si | info@photon.si
Festival Video in Progress 4: Občutki neugodja predstavlja:
samostojna razstava
Aldo Giannotti (IT/AT)
Eksplozije na nebu
8.-21. 11. 2011
Galerija Photon, Križevniška ulica 10, Ljubljana
Otvoritev: ponedeljek, 7. 11. 2011 ob 19. uri
Izbor: Vesna Bukovec, Metka Zupanič (KOLEKTIVA)
Aldo Giannotti, Ciclo Continuo, 2011, izsek iz videa
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Za dela Alda Giannottija je značilna dekonstrukcija ikonografskih podob, predstavnih in pomenskih klišejev ter arhetipov in stereotipov različnih kulturnih okolij. Sam svoje delo označuje kot “eksperiment, s katerim spreminja paradigme”, zanimajo ga namreč nova, drugačna branja ustaljenih vzorcev in etabliranih zgledov. Na njegov dosedanji opus lahko gledamo na dva načina. Po eni strani inscenira situacije in pripovedi, ki presprašujejo družbene strukture, odnose moči, konflikte interesov itd. V teh zgodbah je istočasno igralec, režiser in pripovedovalec. Je neke vrste sodobni pripovedovalec zgodb, pri čemer uporablja improvizacijo, transformacijo in inscenacijo s pomočjo besed, slik in zvokov v performativnem formatu videodela. Po drugi strani pa je njegovo delo kontemplativno in poglobljeno, vendar tudi angažirano, nastalo kot reakcija na družbene in politične dogodke, saj z njim javnosti jasno sporoča svoje kritično videnje sveta.
Na razstavi v Photonu predstavljena instalacija Eksplozije na nebu združuje dva videa in konkretni objekt – dve ročni granati, izklesani iz marmorja. Video Ciclo Continuo prikazuje umetniško akcijo v javnem prostoru, s katero avtor uprizori revolt na družbeno in politično dogajanje, ki posameznika pripelje do točke, ko lahko v stanju popolne nemoči samo še “kriči”. Na balkonu mestne hiše Palazzo Ducale v provinci Massa-Carrara, je namestil ročno sireno in povabil prebivalce mesta, da izrazijo svoje občutke in jezo z glasnostjo sirene. Mestna hiša kot simbol avtoritete in oblasti pade v roke prebivalcev in jim omogoči, da svojim someščanom pošiljajo opozorila za nevarnost, ki pa je v tem primeru nevarnost oblasti (aluzija na politično situacijo v Italiji).
V drugem delu instalacije, videu z naslovom Masclet, vidimo množico ljudi, ki opazujejo dogodek. Njihovo začetno navdušenje in fascinacija se spreminjata v apatijo ob zvokih, ki postajajo vse bolj strašljivi. Ti zvoki bi lahko bili zvoki eksplozij v vojni, a so v resnici le zvoki javnega spektakla – ognjemeta. Situacija spominja na odzive ljudi ob gledanju televizijskih poročil; gre za slepo strmenje v podobe, ki nas več ne ganejo v smislu, da bi ob njih čutili bolečino, dogaja se ravno obratno – medijske podobe so postale podobe spektakla. Množica ljudi in njihovi izrazi nas postavljajo v situacijo, ko se vprašamo, kako lahko posameznik vpliva na politični in družbeni sistem v času naraščajoče apatije kot družbene bolezni današnjega časa. Vojne, trpljenje in družbeni prevrati se dogajajo daleč stran in obnašamo se, kot da se nas ne tičejo. Avtor tako z minimalno gesto ustvari učinkovit občutek ambivalence in nam hkrati pusti odprto možnost različnih interpretacij dela. Tak pristop pa je tudi ena od značilnosti njegovega ustvarjanja.
Metka Zupanič
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O umetniku
Aldo Giannotti (rojen 1977 v Genovi, Italija) od leta 2000 živi in dela na Dunaju. Leta 2002 je zaključil študij na Accademia di Belle Arti, Carrara. Študijsko se je izpopolnjeval v Wimbledonu in Münchnu. Je izjemno aktiven ustvarjalec sodobne umetnosti, ki svoja dela in umetniške akcije predstavlja na številnih samostojnih in pomembnih skupinskih razstavah v različnih evropskih mestih.
Več informacij
Galerija Photon
Križevniška ulica 10, Ljubljana
Odprto: ponedeljek – petek med 11h – 18h
Ob vikendih in praznikih zaprto
tel.: +386 (0)59 977 907
info@photon.si
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Produkcija: Zavod Kolektiva
Koprodukcija: Društvo/galerija Photon
Partnerji: Muzej in galerije mesta Ljubljane, Galerija Vžigalica, Kinodvor. Mestni kino, Lowave, Paris
Festival sta podprla: Mestna občina Ljubljana, oddelek za kulturo in Ministrstvo za kulturo RS
Medijski partner: Radio Študent
Sponzor: Center projekcije
Zahvala: SCCA-Ljubljana, Galerija Škuc
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Kontaktne osebe:
Metka Zupanič, Zavod Kolektiva, tel.: 040 168 014
Vesna Bukovec, Zavod Kolektiva, tel.: 041 258 215
www.kolektiva.org | kolektiva@gmail.com
Dejan Sluga, Galerija Photon, tel.: 040 168 023
www.photon.si | info@photon.si
