Giammarco Cugusi. Have you seen the italian election results? Well, it is clear that no one has seen my work! A sad italian young artist.

Transcription

1 Giammarco Cugusi PORTFOLIO - selected PROJECTS Have you seen the italian election results? Well, it is clear that no one has seen my work! A sad italian young artist. statement updated to March 5, 2018

2 A STORY OF COINCIDENCES The journey August 8, 1991: The cargo ship Vlora arrived in Bari(IT) bringing with it about albanian migrants. August 9, 1991: I was born in Bergamo(IT) people were italian a day before me, but they couldn t have my same rights. The journey is the first chapter of a story developed as installation-novel, where the narration itself is followed by an installation. Thomas is its main character, and his story is made of a series of coincidences, constructed or founded in history. To write it down, I made use of a technique close to the collage, putting together, overlapping, interpreting and developing further, the coincidences and related events I found during my research, giving birth to a new fictional narration. The installation contains elements directly connected to the story I created and others instead tied to the macro-thematic of migration where the story itself can be situated. Fundamental for the audience in connecting the different scenes of the story, is my physical presence as narrator. In my absence, an audio-guide will led the spectator.

3 A STORY OF COINCIDENCES Vlora-Volar Vlora is the name of the cargo ship arrived in Bari (IT) the 8th of august 1991 with almost persons on board. Vlora is the anagram of Volar (to fly). The 9th of august 1991 the singer Domenico Modugno, famous all over the world for his song Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare),comes back on stage after 7 years. STORYTELLING Thomas is trying to escape his country embarking on a ship. A child, probably 6 or 7 years old, is close to him. He has no education. Trying to read the name of the ship, Vlora, after few tries, the child inverts the letters and shouts: Volar! Suddenly, all the others exhausted persons start to sing: Volare, oh oh, cantare, oh oh oh, nel blu dipinto di blu... The day after, the singer Domenico Modugno would have made his come back on stage after an absence of seven long years. Mobile object 110x60x330 cm 2017

4 A STORY OF COINCIDENCES Volere-Volare #1 Usable objects Variable dimensions 2017

5 A STORY OF COINCIDENCES Volere-Volare #2 The head of a crib for children is enlarged becoming a real barrier. If on one hand there are those who are lulled by the lullaby and they fell asleep sweetly, on the other side there are those who would like to enjoy this privilege but are instead opposed and left out. Installation 230x120 cm 2018

6 A STORY OF COINCIDENCES Instructions to fly I put a stone on the seabed, in the southern edge of the isle of San Pietro (IT), bearing as an inscription on a plate a set of instructions to fly: Step on the stone - Open your arms - Move your arms slowly - Move your arms quickly - Jump. Underwater these instructions can be fulfill, you can fly. Picture on screen Variable dimensions 2016

7 A STORY OF COINCIDENCES Machine to decelarate the earth s rotation One of the main features of globalization is the compression of time and space. The purpose of this machine is to decelarate the earth s rotation and consequently to slow down the time. If the earth turns from west to east, the rope should be pull in the opposite direction. Maquette, 1:10 150x60x90 cm 2017

8 A STORY OF COINCIDENCES Per punizione, un giro di campo! Once in Bari, the migrants were conducted and detained in the former stadium of the football team A.S. Bari, Stadio della Vittoria. Given the bad results of the football team A.S. Bari, in season , the supporters altered the name of the stadium from Stadio della Vittoria (Stadium of the Victory) to Stadio della Sconfitta (Stadium of the Defeat). I have taken a lap of the Stadio della Vittoria and filmed the action using a POV shot. To take a lap of the field, was the usual penalty for committing a mistake, when as younger I used to play football. Video 00:05:

9 A STORY OF COINCIDENCES Paolo Giammarco Paolo Giammarco was one of the football player of A.S. Bari during the season when the supporters nicknamed the Stadium of the Victory, Stadium of the defeat. Giammarco is my first name. STORYTELLING Paolo Giammarco was the idol of Thomas father. During all his travel and also in the stadium Thomas wears Giammarco s handmade uniform. The 9th August 1991, Thomas escaped from the stadium. Thomas, Giammarco, was free. Hand-colored T-shirt 80x50 cm 2017

10 OTHER PROJECTS...

11 Sa razia (or sa gratia) Sa Razia or Sa Gratia(The Grace) is an ancient wedding tradition of Sardinia, which refers to the smashing of a kitchen plate at the bride s feet when she is about to go out from her house. The plate always contains wheat, salt and various sweets, as well as rice and flower petals. The tradition is restricted only to women; indeed, the mother of the bride should always be the first to start with the tradition followed by the mother-in-law, but only in the event that the groom s family is present at the bride s house. Even if this pagan and propitiatory ritual is meant as a wish for prosperity and wealth, the tradition says that if the plate does not break up at the first attempt, this is a signal for an inauspicious omen. However, in that particular case, the plate needs to be thrown until it breaks down. The blessing is addressed to a daughter which is leaving her home place to start a new life with her beloved men and such a tradition represents a fundamental element of the Sardinian cultural heritage. This custom is not only a wish for the newborn couple but also it underlines the importance of the journey to the adulthood and independence through the abandonment of the birthplace. Nowadays, the Italian young generation often ends up living with the parents in their childhood house or it is obliged to move abroad due to the scarcity of job opportunities that affected country in recent years. For this reason, I feel the necessity to reactivate this tradition, which represents the symbol of the region my dad comes from, to underline the importance of this step from a safe and quiet life, where school has always been the key, to a more adult and independent life. Performance Main entrance of KASK & konservatorium Graduation show, Gent 02/07/2017

12 Attempt to erase my shadow To the artist, the shadow is the most tangible proof of his existence, a witness of his presence as substance, as physical body. Shadow means occlusion, occlusion means presence. Infact, the artist does not only want to erase his presence in relation to light -synthesizing in the rubber bits an hybrid between image and essence, but, he is also delivering a blow in the metaphysical relation between relation and appearance, where abolishing one, one ends up abolishing the other. The true world we have abolished. What world has remained? The apparent one perhaps? But no! With the true world we have also abolished the apparent one. In our everyday life we have an hard time defining our vital space, in a perpetual escape from our birthplace, leaving family and affections, a life in which we often find ourselves asking who am I? where am I? a reflexion on our identity, our being, is necessary. The artists challenges his own being and its meaning through a personal and painful erasing effort of what is most intangible and ephemeral (but still, witness of existence) exists of him, the shadow. Performance Variable duration Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venice 2016

13 Progetto Albrigoni, Cuore-Albero, Cuore-Vitello, Cuore-Tela, Maschera, Frantumare, Sbriciolare, Progetto Valsecchi, Bianzana, Città Alta, Zopfi, Ranica, Guido Guidi, Modella , Modella , Modella , Modella, Progetto Morri, Stazione, Benzinaio, Venezia, Sea landscape, Mario Airò, Lab. Arte 1, Lab. Fotografia, Italcementi, Elaborato tesina, Ragazzi di Scampia, 150 Anni Unità d Italia, Cuore, LAS Bergamo. The Hard Disk memory is a secondary mass capable of storing thousands of data. This memory consists of a hard drive, physically breakable, causing data loss. Actually the files are still present, but no longer visible through the computer. The breakup of my hard drive has caused the loss of many projects and as many personal folders; now it remains only a black box containing incorrect information displayed. The only source capable of communicating with the outside world is the noise caused by electromechanical Hard disk jammed. The work thus becomes a container of other works, a matryoshka that carries within it a number of small identities. The song caused by the Hard disk and his physical presence are more than just formal gimmicks. The Hard disk memory becomes abstractions of my previous work, physically lost. The song becomes lifeline, spokesman hopes. Folders lost up the title of the work. Interactive Installation, Variable dimensions 1st prize Collettiva Giovani Artisti San Marco Gallery, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venice 2013

14 Irrigare: coltivare un processo Two sprinklers placed in the exhibition space of Palazzetto Tito (Venice) allow me to continue the process started within the walls of the abandoned building in the Giudecca island, where I installed 50 m 2 of real grass. The sprinklers are not operated by water, but by compressed air which, however, recreates the same conditions, about the movement and the sound. The exhibition hall allows me to summarize the process without losing the power of the act, indeed even giving it different readings. Pictures of the first intervention were visible in the catalogue of the exhibition. Installation, Variable dimensions Palazzetto Tito, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venice 2015

15 UNTITLED The project has found its ideal collocation inside an abandoned building in the Giudecca Island, in Venice. The artwork implies the insertion of a grassy blanket (50mq ca.) that is added to the preexistent natural part which has grown spontaneously. Site-specific installation 50 mq of grass 2014

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17 GIAMMARCO CUGUSI Bergamo, 09/08/1991 EDUCATION Rue de l Autonomie, , Anderlecht, Bruxelles (BE) (IT) giammarco.cugusi@gmail.com 2017 Master degree in Fine Arts at KASK School of art, Gent 2014 Bachelor degree in Visual & Performing Arts at IUAV, Venice PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES Assistant of Arcangelo Sassolino, Vicenza Founder of the art magazine XRivista, Paris - Assistant of Alvaro Urbano, Berlin - Internship at CHERTLUDDE art gallery, Berlin - Founder of the artist collective AAA, Venice Assistant of Petrit Halilaj, Kosovo Pavilion, 55. Venice Biennale, Venice

18 EXHIBITIONS September 2018 X=Danisinni Group exhibition, Manifesta 12, Palermo metricubi Collettivo AAA, Long Lake Festival, Lugano Graduation Show KASK & Konservatoiurm, Gent 27metricubi Collettivo AAA with Central Saint Martins, London Page Space Fold Page Group exhibition, MAP, Gent Dopo Sole Group exhibition, Studi Festival, Milan ma Collettiva Giovani Artisti Group exhibition by Stefano Coletto, Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Piazza San Marco Gallery, Venice In-Salum Artist residency and Group exhibition by Simona Andrioletti and Alessandro Mazzatorta, Museo Civico del Duca, Carloforte Alien Group exhibition, In de Ruimte, Gent Dit betekent dat zelfs de bewandertste Kijker crashen op halverwege van zijn Tour Group exhibition by Stefaan Dheedene and Henk Visch, Zwarte Zaal, Gent Dies hat zur Folge, dass selbst der bewandertste Betrachter auf halbem Wege seinen Rundgang abbricht Group exhibition by Stefaan Dheedene, Kunstakademie, Munster 2015 Allora! Group exhibition, Fabbrica Saccardo, Vicenza 27metricubi Collettivo AAA, Mediterranea 17, Young Artists Biennale, Fabbrica del vapore, Milano 27metricubi Collettivo AAA, in collaboration with Università di Padova, Padua 27metricubi Collettivo AAA, in collaboration with Municipality of Venice, Venice I borsisti della 97ma collettiva Group exhibition by Stefano Coletto, Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Palazzetto Tito, Venice ma Collettiva Giovani Artisti Group exhibition by Stefano Coletto, Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Piazza San Marco Gallery, Venice Untitled (from Venezia to Castellana) Solo exhibition by Sveva Bizzotto, Speleological Museum Franco Anelli, Castellana Grotte, Bari Di PASSAGGIO Group exhibition, A+A Gallery, Venice A matter of Memory Group exhibition by Liliana Moro and Sara Berton, Spazio Punch, Venice ma Collettiva Giovani Artisti (1st prize) Group exhibition curated by Stefano Coletto, Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Venice