What lead you to elaborating the theme of “Transmitting energy: a contemporary metaphor” into the conceptual creation of your artwork?
My processes are all exemplary and automatic references, I hope. When speaking of electricity, I thought that the Electricthrone could be among all my works, the most exemplary that I could exhibit. I had already formulated Electricthrone as a sculpture. Over the longer period of time that was necessary for creating it, I thought of formulating various poses, also within the prospect of an inevitable invitation to New York for a solo exhibit. I find it incredible that in such a great democracy like the American one, the electric chair still exists. I thought of presenting the artwork in a playful way which is my language: a golden throne, anthropomorphic with belts that are snakes.
You were asked to interpret energy transmission as a contemporary metaphor. Now try re-inventing the meaning of the acronym Terna (Trasmissione Elettricità Rete Nazionale-National Electricity Transmission Grid). What comes to your mind?
Eternity. I immediately thought of Terna, Eternity. It is an idea, a reality. Eternity is an unreality.
A recent survey conducted by the ISPO, commissioned by Terna during the Terna Prize, revealed that 68% of artists are unable to live from only their work, 75% has a conflicting relationship with gallery owners, 86% believe that contemporary art should be supported by both the government and private companies. For you, today, what does it mean to be an artist in Italy? Is one born an artist or does one become an artist?
Luckily, I have been living off of my art since the 1970’s when I first started exhibiting. At that time, in Rome one was able to live with very little, counting on a community based on communication, art and life. Problems began when artists in the 1980’s discovered that being an artist could become a profession. I don’t think that an artist should necessarily be protected. Some serious gallery owners can transform themselves into patrons of the arts, but this is very rare. Patrons are always very rare. Today, being an artist in Italy means expressing the concept of art within a very open contemporary scenario. The idea is developed also because the tools for this exist: I, for example, use ceramics without being a ceramist, photography without being a photographer. Being artists means succeed in expressing oneself through a prospect of projects and ideas, through the most relevant element that is most significantly coherent with the idea. It is also important that even if a productive conviction exists, it must be controlled. Things should not be done because there is an order or an expectation.
After years of an artistic boom, the market has now slowed down. More generally, sales have dropped, even if not on all the markets. Other countries have various forms of support offered to artists, also coming from the private and public sectors. What is it like to work in Italy?
Initiatives like the one promoted by Terna could help artists through scholarships, helping them in their careers based on different prospects and experiences if they don’t have the possibilities and nature to do so autonomously. More generally, I don’t share the idea of certain generations that it is the cost of the artwork that gives the work an added value. A certain rigor is necessary respecting a possible listing without gambling on it. These mechanisms began with the trans-avant- gard movement in the 1980’s. Before that there was never any talk about the value of an artwork being connected to its cost. Speculation and gambling are not at all interesting. This aspect that is focused on by the media and by the speculators is to be redefined trying to explain that it is necessary to be selective but based on the fact that something that is insignificant may be very significant on the commercial level, but it can also be invisible and cannot at all be created and invented on what is false.
How do you interpret the transformation of places and of the city where you live?
Transformation in Rome are not all that evident yet. The intention of becoming a contemporary art center exists, but has not yet been demonstrated. There is an immediate future if one thinks of the new museums that are springing up. The artist doesn’t have an absolute need for spaces. The space he needs is where he can build and create things. I have always tried to create things independently from the fact that someone could support them, otherwise I would never have done anything. It is important to know how to manage oneself. One can do anything with a certain amount of irony and lightness.
Do you participate in the development of your city also as a cultural operator?
I try to participate as an individual to meetings and events. I do not like to promote myself, but am open to dialogue and conversations. It often seems, however, that those who are involved in culture do not consider the artist. As for myself, I have rarely appeared on TV since I believe it is difficult to participate in that type of show. It is a question of finding a space for a coherent type of language that is not entertainment even though it might appear that my form of art is based on exhibitionism. What does it mean to mix interests so casually? I hope I still have a frivolous rigor, meaning a relationship with communication intended as promotion bust being selective. The exhibitionism of certain people that abuse certain media have taken away space from the actors. There is a cultural role taken on by politicians that do not even know how to appear in public and they offend each other even in the worst ways, when instead there are actors who could exhibit their qualities as actors and/or authors even having less roots and experience in public affairs.
How do you see the cultural and artistic situation in your city?
I have certain filters for this. I try to have a transparent shield that allows me to look around but I cannot fight to lose. Socially, I am under the impression that at present there are useless battles of all kinds that everyone loses. I am in favour of all that is solidarity. There is no need to display one’s qualities as if they were an advantage for everyone. It is a very weak moral and ethical thing. In Rome, I feel as if I need a glass shield.
If you were asked to create the same artwork on another support, how would you interpret/convert it?
The most obvious thing would be to make a video. Without being theatrical, but playing on rituality, the rituality of the anamorphosis that I have named “anamorPosa”, anamorphosic poses that involve the participation of the spectator who must move from his point of view. This movement would be more explicit in a video. I thought to propose a lens image since at the most with 5 poses I can give a performative sense of a movement.
What does an artist do when he is not working?
He breathes, he relaxes, takes walks, dreams and reads. I am a tree with roots but would like to be even more of a nomad, perhaps sleep on top or under my tree.
What is and which do you think should be the role of the art critic today, with respect to the figure of the artist and the complexity of the art system?
When I first began exhibiting my work, critics were scholars, experts that presented normal introductions to the artwork, presentations. All this collapsed in 1968. There was an exhibitionist movement for everyone. Since art has the possibility of a creative prospect, the gallery owner, the critic or the operator in the field feel they can participate in this creation since language, fortunately, has a more libertarian ambiguous space. Often this proposal of theses and points of view held by the critic represent a strongly conditioning element since seen as being opportunistic, according to the space, the opportunity, the patron. What I mean is that abusing the visibility of the critic’s point of view goes to the disadvantage of the quality of the artist’s presence. It would be interesting for the critic to regain his role based on duty, in the informative sense, on coherence of the ideology he intends to express. I find it surprising that based on a sense of self-promotion and wanting to be the center of attention, the quality of the exhibit is sacrificed. It is not at all true that artists are created or promoted by someone. Even in the continuity of his experience and conviction, also the weakest artist finds a more interesting and acceptable form of expression compared to his previous one. This also occurs through situations that have strengthened him. But it is unthinkable to imagine that someone or something can be created from nothing, they will be short-lived.
To which art critic would you show your artwork to and why?
I would prefer proposing it to literary figures or poets. The man of letters or poet sees things completely outside of an objective critical viewpoint. It is more interesting to recreate a situation of collaboration and friendship that some highly intellectual critics in other times used to have, as in my case with Goffredo Parise. It was his curiosity that led him to be involved in the art word.
2009-05-27
