“I believe that the artist’s outlook is both critical, ethical and loving. This means that it is necessary to analyze situations critically, comparing oneself ethically with others in the world, especially today where everything is so fast-paced and culture itself is increasingly preponderant as a part of our lives”
Internationally acclaimed artist, professor at the Brera Academy in Milan, Alberto Garutti won the first prize in the “Terawatt” category of the TP02. His artwork “Temporali” fully focused on the theme of the prize’s second edition, the proportion “Energy: Mankind = future: environment”, once again overturning the aesthetic and project confines of contemporary art. The artwork, presented with Digital Computer Generated Graphic technique, actually represents the basis of a broader and more complex project. “ Every time lighting will hit Italy during “Temporali” (Storms) – the artwork’s statement reads-, an energy propulsor will light up, thanks to a tight network of light bulbs connected with the CESI (Centro Elettrotecnico Sperimentale Italiano- Italian Experimental Electro-technical Center)”.
The artist commented that the winning artwork expresses “a nature that contains the mystical sense of art”. According to Garutti, “for centuries artists saw nature through art. I have also taken on this attitude in my observations, considering the problem of the artificial that becomes natural and of nature that becomes artificial. Through the experience of the artwork, he added, man is capable of grasping nature’s mystical power, approaching it and perceiving its impenetrable secrets”. Philosophy, poetry, art. The artist fully expresses himself. “ The theme is very important, he remarked. Facing it and providing an ethical sense is an essential approach. I believe that the artist’s outlook is both critical, ethical and loving. This means that it is necessary to analyze situations critically, comparing oneself ethically with others in the world, especially today where everything is so fast-paced and culture itself is increasingly preponderant as a part of our lives”.
Garutti, who also appreciated the artworks of his colleagues, “all very high level”, was very enthusiastic about participating in the contest. “The Terna Prize is important because it is planned according to logics that regard contemporary art in multiple ways, he explained. The organizers proposed and played the role of a dialectic pole, allowing the artworks to change and grow, of taking on their own unpredictable identity. Both the organization and the jury were of very high level.” Garutti, does not hide his double nature as an artist and a professor and gives great value to the importance of teaching visual arts as a sentimental type of education. “A complex task, he concluded, but which opens the path to a new form of dialogue. It is necessary, however, that the professor is capable of stepping out of his official role. The real problem is finding oneself in front of the artwork, stripped of all one’s roles.”
"The energy need is entirely rooted in our existence, in the past, the present and the future. Let’s image an immediate and overwhelming clean energy revolution: this is our future"
Dissolving confines with the use of light. This is the underlying idea that inspired Stefano Cagol, winner of the TP02 for the Terawatt category with the artwork "Dissoluzione di luce", for interpreting the proportion:
"Energy: Mankind=Future:Environment". The light box was inspired by a luminous project created by the artist as a “Parallel Event to Manifesta 7" in Trento. "The image proposes a light beam of 15 km that through its pureness symbolically urges the viewer to reflect, explained Cagol. The light goes beyond the lights of everyday life, it approaches the mountain and joins the environment between the horizon, the sky and the earth. The light draws impossible lines to be grasped in one’s hand, pointed out the artist, and is therefore a perfect metaphor for confines that must be overcome: the confines between culture, between convictions, between historical periods, between man and nature, past and innovation”. Gagol succeeded in overcoming many confines in his life, starting from the borders. He was born in Trento, lived in Bern for ten years, studied at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan and at the Ryerson University in Toronto. A high profile artist, Cagol worked on many different projects, including one for the Berlin 2006 Arts Festival, the special project "Bird Flu / Vogelgrippe" (Avian flu), supported by the Trento Civic Contemporary Art Gallery, Museion, Contemporary and Modern Art Museum in Bolzano and the Kunstraum in Innsbruck, Austria. His artistic path has always been based on travelling through which he searches for or encounters contemporary landscape and symbols of our times. Today he lives and works between Italy and Brussels. "In the past years, various projects brought me to Belgium, explained the artist. I am particularly connected, however, with my home-town, Trento, that is the protagonist of the winning image. By working abroad I could develop my potential, my research and my inner growth. Being a contemporary artist is an all-absorbing mission. There is a total commitment and perseverance that few professions require. In a world that now has an expanded reality, it is necessary to compare oneself with the world scenario. This means constantly questioning oneself”. The same concept that inspired him to participate in the Terna Prize 02. "I immediately was interested and intrigued by this year’s theme as well as by the contest itself. The artist explained that it dealt with aspects that are part of his search. "The energy need is entirely rooted in our existence, in the past, the present and the future. Let’s image an immediate and overwhelming clean energy revolution: this is our future! In a very direct way, I feel technically very close to the energy topic, particularly through the media that I often use, stated the artist. At a second, more profound level, I felt emotionally involved. Reflecting on the topics proposed by the TP02 the basic theme is man’s essence on the earth. The use, the development and the future of energy compared to the environmental impact, involve each one of us, artists, dentists, politicians”. "Dissoluzione di Luce", the winning artwork of the TP02 "sparks off a myriad of comparisons that Cagol was certainly not afraid of facing by proposing his artwork to an international jury and expressing his creativity on such a complex theme. “I strongly believed in my artwork, he commented on his victory. One participates also to win, but that doesn’t always happen. This result makes me very happy. I am convinced that this project in New York will be another important step in my creative path.” Cagol, who worked all over the world, appreciated "the rigorous and orderly organization. The professional approach was perfect in the time frames, in the results, despite the exorbitant number of participants, something which is quite rare in Italy. But I must say that even abroad, certain situations can result lower than one’s expectations”.
"Winning a prize means knowing the value of one’s artwork, it means having a mirror where you can look at yourself through someone else’s eyes. Winning means starting over better than before ".
"It is necessary to inject new energy into light-bulbs, the traditional symbol of ideas, in order to rediscover the surrounding environment”. This is what Simone Bergantini was thinking when magically immortalized the energy that was finished in various electric bulbs hanging from a wire and he took the photo "Work 77", a true artwork that would bring him to winning the TP02 in the Gigawatt category. Bergantini’s works are created from traditional photography and from the study, first, and later the exasperation of chemical and physical processes on the negative. "They are created from the challenge and the need to rediscover the invisible dimension, he explained, through a method such as the one of technically reproducing images, something that today has been exasperated from an excess of light and surreal accuracy.” Born in Velletri, just outside of Rome, a graduate in History of Contemporary Art with a thesis on the figure of A.B.O. and on Trans-avant-garde, Simone certainly didn’t expect all this success and explained: "Winning a prize for a young artist means knowing the value of one’s artwork, it means having a mirror where you can look at yourself through someone else’s eyes and this can generate an important growth in one’s work. I always considered every new success, whether small or large, as a burst of confidence, even as a change of perspective, a new sublime and disarming dimensions. Winning means starting over better than before.” Simone placed his confidence in Terna as an example of modern patronage of the arts supporting the emergence of new talents “"since by winning one becomes part of Terna’s history. But he clarified that this is obviously a mutual process. Allowing me to win, Terna has also become part of my history, of my CV. An artistic career is also made of the artworks that the artist creates and of the people that have made this possible, behind every artists there is a group and team effort made of friends, collectors, gallery dealers, curators and in this case also a large company in synergy with the public system". Apart from this great sense of satisfaction, Simone is also aware of how difficult it is to become established in a such a competitive sector as the one of contemporary art, but he never gave up. "Being a professional artist is only for a few privileged people, he explained, and I hope I will succeed. I am working hard for this and am trying to create a role for myself, but what I really hope is that in the future I will continue to be an artist.” After graduating, Simone moved to Milan where he learned the secrets of photography by working as free lance assistant for fashion and advertising and later in Turin where he has been living for less than a year “with the specific intention of finding the ideal environment for working on my artistic project, in the hope of bringing my work as soon as possible also in other countries, besides Italy.” His courage and perseverance triumphed since Simone presently works with the Jarach gallery in Venice, "with the gallery I will participate in a few days at Artissima in Turin". In the past, he had already collaborated with the Romberg Gallery in Rome and with the Mc2 in Milan. And now? “I am ready to receive and elaborate all that will come my way, but I frankly wonder what will be expected of me with this victory, you have given me something very important, I hope to live up to the calling in the best way”.
"I believe that artistic work is an opportunity for defining the relationship between man, space and time, explained the artist. An attempt at closely analyzing the complexity, the fragility and absurdity of human behaviour.”
Social and educational responsibility as well as exposing reality as it is. This is the artist’s role according to Giulio Delvè, the winner of the special Gigawatt prize assigned by the gallery directors of the TP02. Giulio was awarded for the artwork "Brainstorm", traditional photography on paper. He explained his work: “ it is a home-made green house, an installation artwork built with recycled materials: balcony pieces, low-energy consumption lighting, timers and an analogical irrigation system, cardboard and a blanket. Brainstorming is a creative group technique for having ideas emerge that can solve a problem.” The artist lives and works between Naples and Berlin. He has exhibited his works at the Pan and the Madre in Naples, at the Merz Foundatin and at the Castello di Rivoli in Turin. His projects are created very instinctively from input, reflections and mediation, from the need to understand. “"I believe that artistic work is an opportunity for defining the relationship between man, space and time, explained the artist. An attempt at closely analyzing the complexity, the fragility and absurdity of human behaviour within a specific context, an attempt to study the individual as a social animal. I don’t have a pre-determined method and I am interested in all levels of language experiments from installation artworks to videos, from collage to photography, but I do not prefer one medium in particular since I feel this is autonomously chosen based on the concept.”
Giulio, who attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples and the Weißensee Kunsthochschule in Berlin, considers professionalism, honesty and vision as being very important, as the essential elements of his work, but above all he believes it is basic to have an exchange, a comparison, a possibility for debate among artists and the market in order to grow both at the human level and professionally. What he appreciated most of the Terna Prize was the "Connectivity" project and the international visibility, the opening to foreign markets and the possibility of establishing relations with another continent. Perhaps it was this that pushed him to participate in the prize. “I appreciated the fact that the winners of the prize’s first edition had the opportunity to exhibit their artworks in New York. Displaying one’s work at the Chelsea Art Museum represents an important experience and a true opportunity for international growth.”
"My work was carried out directly on site, directly. I had to conduct an accurate research to find the lion and the right tamer”.
A lion and a lion-tamer exchange long silences in agreement with one another. To capture the fleeting moment was the winner of the Megawatt category of the Special Award of the Gallery Director’s Committee: Mauro Folci. The artist from L’Aquila who now lives in Rome and is also a Professor at the Fine Arts Academy in Brera, is a master of performing arts and considers artworks mainly as visual elements of what is occurring. “My works focus on the message conveyed, the philosophical approach. This is also because I think that art should also be documented and revealed. My artworks are inspired by my readings that are not exclusively philosophical.” In the past 15 years, Mauro Folci has focused largely on the concept of latent power. In “Noia”, the video-still that awarded him the recognition of the gallery directors, the philosophical reflection starts from way back “in exploring our relationship with the environment, with what surrounds us. The video, continued Folci, shows an unusual connection between man and an animal, the closeness between the animal’s surprise and the enchantment-chaining of human beings when they experience an emotional state of deep profound boredom ". This becomes an artistic re-conceptualization of space as a place to be lived in, where subtle philosophical dynamics can be admired. It is difficult to define and immortalize the concept of boredom. Folci tried this with a video-still. "In the emotional state of boredom, according to Heiddeger, man sees a relationship with the world that resembles an animal’s relationship with the environment. The world enchants us while also chaining us in its disjointed essence and it is in this condition of inactivity that time reveals all of its possibilities that lie unused.” For "Noia", Folci was inspired by "San Gerolamo nel suo studio" (St. Jerome in His Study) an artwork dating back to the 1400’s by Antonio Colantonio displayed at the Museum of Capodimonte, that depicts the saint while he extracts a thorn from the lion’s paw. “From that moment to actually creating the artwork, a total of 6 months went by, including filming and editing. This work is the fruit of a lengthy research, first of all to find the lion and the lion-tamer that was capable of training the lion for this type of exercise.” Folci did not expect to win, even if he strongly believed in the quality of his work. “This prize encourages my research, it recognizes my artwork and represents a further stimulus. I also appreciated the other artworks that obtained a recognition from the jury. Awarding Garutti’s work, in particular, was an excellent choice.” The artist is essentially a free spirit, and even though has received the award from the gallery directors of the TP02, he prefers alternative methods to research. “Every artist follows his path. I am not part of the major artistic circuits, since I do not work with any particular gallery, because I strongly believe that my artistic research does not produce objects that can be easily sold on the market. For this reason, in the past years I have worked mainly with foundations, museums, schools and public authorities.” Folci appreciates the Terna Prize as an initiative aimed at supporting talents, “it is important that in this type of initiative, the focus remains love for art, culture and research, and not profits.”
"My work always comes before me. It travels faster than me and of what could be my personal gratification. I hope that thanks to the Prize, my artworks will have the possibility of growing and being part of an exchange with the world.”
"I am never concerned about the impact my work can have on the public. I am interested in my own research and try to develop almost an exclusive type of relationship between myself and my artworks.” Michele Manzini, 42 years old from Verona, won the Online Category of the TP02 with the artwork "Untitled (#87)". The artist was surprised by the web voting where he received 1940 votes. "This leads me to a broader reflection on my work’s capability of communicating, on its structure and on the possibility that the public can actually become the material to work with.” In creating his artworks, Manzini constantly works between two dimensions: the theoretical elaboration and the actual construction of his installation artworks. The artwork presented at the Terna Prize was in fact supported by philosophical ideas on the theme of the landscape. "My writings, he commented, are the horizon toward which my work is constantly moving to. I began my figurative experience when I realized the limits of the written work and felt the need to find new forms of expression.” Manzini creates installation artworks that he then decides to immortalize by photographing them. "I create figures. The figure is an attempt to create a form that is juxtaposed to the fascination of images which nonetheless are filled with truth, flicker and then vanish without transforming themselves into knowledge. I often find myself stating that I am not and do not feel a photographer. I am not because I have no formal technical training nor any figurative one and the only pictures I take are the ones of my work. What interests me in photography is the work involved in the positioning in relation to the object being photographed. The possibility that this gives me to define a precise distance with respect to objects. Mine, in reality, is the search for an opening, for identifying a threshold where the conflict between light and darkness, artificiality and nature, form and non-form remain suspended for a second in a wonderful dissonance.” The free-spirited artist from Verona has always moved outside the traditional artistic circuits. "I have always acted autonomously, explained Manzini, I participated in collective and solo exhibits in Europe: from the Palazzo della Gran Guardia in Verona to the Italian Cultural Institute in Prague, from the Rathaus in Stuttgart to the Smith Gallery in Edinburgh. On one hand this allows for great freedom, but on the other it takes away a lot of time and energy that could be used for my work. Today I am considering working with several galleries that are interested in my work thanks to the prize.” The Terna Prize offers an extra opportunity: a launching platform for some, a definitive confirmation for others. For Manzini, this prize has represented “ a great encouragement for my work.” With regard to the Terna Prize, the artist greatly appreciated the idea of a modern entrepreneurial patronage of the arts. “ There is now a new model of patrons that also sees companies such as Terna involved in a way that is completely different from the old stereotypes. This is very interesting and productive. It represents a more cooperative attitude where various objectives such as innovation, research, experimentation are shared with the company and which contribute to rendering visible the company’s social responsibility. It is a question of creating opportunities, events and promotions or of even financing specific projects that otherwise would not be possible with the artist’s only means."
“What fascinates me the most is knowing that each one of us has two sides. Portraying them becomes very difficult and simple at the same time.”
Man Ray, Picasso, Warhol: many artists contributed to forging Dino Pedriali’s expressive talent who was awarded the special award of the Jury of the Terna Prize 02. The Terawatt participant enthused the jury members for “coherence and rigor” with the artwork “Miraggio”, ink jet print on hahnemuhle byrata paper. “My work is above all an act of love toward my son, explained the artist, a very secrete and intimate self-portrait. I interpreted the word energy as a vital element, but I was principally inspired by the word Mankind.”
Pedriali, who declared that “he never brings his camera with him”, was defined by the art critic Peter Weiermair as the “Caravaggio of 1900’s photography”, referring particularly to his nudes. Pedriali does not like to define himself as a photographer since each of his projects, every idea or intuition have always been fully expressed through art. He is the Caravaggio of Photography, but not so much for his way of representing, of photographing, of displaying the naked body of his models, but more for his unique adoption of a genre in which the great painter of the 1600’s excelled: still life. Yet Dino Pedriali owes much of his talent also to important encounters made during his life. “I have always liked art, but did not know how to paint and in the end I found my expression through photography, particularly portraits. “What fascinates me the most is knowing that each one of us has two sides. Portraying them becomes very difficult and simple at the same time.” He has photographed many important figures such as Giacomo Manzù, Giorgio De Chirico, Federico Zeri, Alberto Moravia, Federico Fellini, Rudolf Nurejev, and Pier Paolo Pasolini. The passion for art, that he defends above all, has always attracted him to studying the naked body, an essential vocation that requires artists that keep it alive without forgetting it.
The artist began working in a gallery in Turin. During those years he had an encounter that was to change his life: Man Ray. “I have always been a great enthusiast of the iconography of the image and many artists have left their mark on me. In addition to Man Ray, I was also inspired by Roberto Longhi who taught me the importance of dimensions, sense, style and plasticity. Caravaggio has also always been my great source of inspiration and guide for light and color tones.” Pedriali is nostalgic of the times when he used to work with the great artists of the past, Warhol above all. “I miss the great freedom of those years. Today I believe that we are experiencing a very delicate moment for contemporary art: it feels as if we were going backwards in time.”
Also for this reason he accepted Terna’s invitation to participate in the contest. “What attracted me the most of this project was the sensibility demonstrated by the company toward contemporary art. It’s as if Terna decided to take over this situation by helping both young and famous artists, as if to say, let’s focus on art since it is an important cultural heritage. In this new aspect of modern renaissance, I see a salvation. Today, patrons are essential: they allow the artist to establish a comparison and trace a path with his own professionalism and to grow.” Pedriali, who has been quite successful during his lengthy professional career confesses he still has many future projects. “The artist has a very delicate personality. Today I feel more fragile, but I also have an increased capability for composition. My dream is to succeed in creating a perspective element of Doomsday. A titanic enterprise that I have been working on for many years.”
