© 2013 ch-arts
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Opening: Saturday October 14th at 6pm
The practice of art involves the capacity to create fantasy characters and imaginary worlds, especially in the case of literature, thanks to its narrative qualities. The visual arts have always engaged in fertile dialogue with literature. Painters, photographers and filmmakers continue to illustrate and interpret the works of many writers, while writers regularly make use of the allegories invented by artists. "Mirhajica" opens the gates to the imaginary worlds created by several artists whose work is closely linked to literature, from the classic to the postmodern or cyberpunk. Their works evoke the atmospheres, obsessions and fantasies of novels; they create allegorical installations that reflect the symbolism developed by an author, or use words as a process for generating works. The utopias, mirages and illusions that constitute the imaginary universe of "Mirhajica" reveal, in part, the contradictions and absurdities of the real world.
The geometric forms created by DAVIDE CASCIO (*1976, Lugano, CH) for his installations are related to the models of architectural and urban design. Architecture, in its purest form of practice, is a humanistic activity, in Davide Cascio’s view, aimed at making a contribution to the permanent progress of the society. Alongside this focus on the practice of architecture, the artist turns to philosophy, literature and historical texts for the conception and development of his works. The installation made for "I Sotterranei dell'Arte" is part of his ongoing research on utopian architecture. The artist designs an ideal, imaginary city invented by man to satisfy his own illusions. A non-existent place, yet the result of conscious planning, in which the desire for perfection inevitably jeopardizes the possibility of implementation.
Influenced by cyberpunk literature and film, MARTINA JACOMA (*1981, Locarno, CH) is particularly interested in the relationship between the human body and new technologies, investigating the interferences and alterations the technologies trigger in human beings. Considerations regarding transhumanism, the nature of the human mind and the hypothesis of artificial intelligence represent the philosophical terrain on which this culture has developed. Martina Jacoma’s videos operate on the borderline between poetic gesture and documentation of individual performances. In "Carnògica" the artist has filmed her own body in an artificial environment that interacts and blends with the biological reality of the body. For the exhibition "Mirhajica" the artist has made a video installation that further develops the research begun with her previous work.
The world described by ANA ROLDAN (*1977, Mexico City, MX) is cynical and cruel, a place where personal ambitions clash with collective needs. The artist creates fragile, poetic installations that challenge the morality and aspirations of the viewer. She utilizes materials from the world of arts and crafts, like leather and wax, yet her installations often contain logos, suggesting industrial origins. Words are an equally essential element: whether in the form of a fable written by the artist or a title in the form of a logo, they offer a key of interpretation for the work, revealing its themes. For "I Sotterranei dell'Arte" Ana Roldán presents a new work, "The Play", an allegorical interpretation of the game of golf in which the importance of individual success and money are accentuated.
SOPHIE TOULOUSE (*1970, Rennes, FR) has created a fantastic, seductive world: Nation of Angela (NOA), a nation-island where the values of beauty, purity and innocence prevail. A utopian society in which the individual can seek refuge to escape from reality. But NOA is not as innocuous as it looks: its propaganda messages reveal a totalitarian ideology based on the promise of a better world, individual redemption and the denial of earthly happiness. The apologia of beauty and perfection of NOA retraces the advertising strategies of today’s consumer society. In this sense, the work of Sophie Toulouse can be interpreted as a critique of an increasingly global and totalitarian capitalist system. Inspired by postmodern literature and philosophy, Sophie Toulouse has created a voracious island of neo-baroque features, capable of reflecting anyone’s dreams with the aim of spreading its ideology.
Curated by Boris Magrini
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