The two winners of the 2012-13 Premio New York prize for emerging Italian visual artists present their recent work. Franceschini features 'For in and out, above, about, below, 'Tis nothing but a Magic Shadow-Show, Act II', a collection of film and video works. Arena features 'My Sunday in New York, 2012-2013', 15 copies of the front page of the New York Times manipulated to reveal a phrase made famous in Melville's 'Bartleby, the Scrivener'.
March 13, 2013 -- Anna Franceschini and Francesco Arena, winners of the
2012-13 Premio New York prize for emerging Italian visual artists, will
present recent work at Columbia University’s Italian Academy on Tuesday,
March 26 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The artists are concluding a four-month
residency in New York at Brooklyn’s International Studio and Curatorial
Program. The Premio New York is sponsored by the Italian Cultural Institute
of New York, the Italian Academy, and the Italian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.
ANNA FRANCESCHINI will present “For in and out, above, about, below, 'Tis
nothing but a Magic Shadow-Show, Act II”, a collection of film and video
works. The carousel of moving images will establish a dialogue with the
projection space in the Teatro of the Italian Academy, where the stage will
be populated by mechanical characters, climatic variations, glimpses of
light and fleeting visions.
Franceschini’s work explores the nature of objects and places as related to
their history, manufacture, function and individuality. Her field work
involves prolonged and minute observation of these subjects and aims to
encapsulate on film the energetic remnants and emotional resonances of their
functions and use.
FRANCESCO ARENA will present “My Sunday in New York, 2012-2013" (Courtesy of
Monitor Gallery, Rome), an exhibition consisting of 15 copies of the front
page of the New York Times manipulated to reveal the phrase made famous in
Melville’s “Bartleby, the Scrivener”: “I would prefer not to.” In the same
room a performance of "2,794" (which reflects the number of victims killed
in
New York in the attacks on September 11, 2001) will take place, in which an
actor repeats the phrase “9/11” 2,794 times, inviting the audience to
reflect on the effects of sound, meaning and significance.
Arena takes inspiration for his work from Italian history, in particular the
political and social issues that characterize recent events. Controversies,
often silenced for political reasons, gain new life through the synthetic
and metaphorical forms of his sculptures.
BIOGRAPHICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL INFORMATION
Born in Pavia in 1979, ANNA FRANCESCHINI lives and works in Brussels. She
received a MA in Media Studies and a post-graduate grant in History and
Criticism of Italian Cinema at IULM University. Her work has been presented
and has received awards in various film festivals, including the 60th
Locarno Film Festival (CH), TFF/Turin Film Festival (IT), and MFF/Milan Film
Festival. Solo exhibitions include “Subjective projektionen: Anna
Franceschini”, Bielefelder Kunstverein (DE); “Thea Ddjordjatze: quiet speech
in wide circulation” /” Screening room: Anna Franceschini”, Kiosk Gallery,
Ghent (BE),” HALATION, Objectif“, Exhibition, Antwerp (BE). Upcoming solo
shows include “The stuffed shirt”, Peep Hole, Milan (IT) and St. Paul St
Gallery, AUT, Auckland (NZ). Selected group exhibitions include “A text is
a thing”, istamare/Benedetta Spalletti , Pescara (IT); “The Eleventh Hour”,
Futura, Praga (CZ);” Videoreport Italia 2008-09”, GC.AC., Monfalcone (IT)
and” The Flying Carpets”, Villa Medici, Rome (IT). She received Honorable
Mention for the Ariane de Rothschild Prize, Milan, in 2011 and won the
Fondazione Casoli Prize 2012, Fabriano (IT).
Franceschini has been a resident artist at the Rijksakademie van beeldende
kunsten, Amsterdam (NL) and VIR/Viafarini In Residence, Milan. Her work is
in institutional and private collections including the Musée National d’Art
Moderne / Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, MACRO Museum in Rome, Dommering
Collection in Amsterdam and the Nicoletta Fiorucci Collection in Rome.
www.annafranceschini.net
FRANCESCO ARENA’S solo exhibitions include “Trittico 57”, Project Room,
Museion, Bolzano, 2012; “Orizzonte con riduzione di Mare”, Monitor Gallery,
Rome; “Com'è piccola Milan”, Peep Hole, Milan, 2011; “Art Statement”, Art
Basel, 2010; “Cratere”, De Vleeshal, Middelburg. He has participated in
many group exhibitions, including: “The revolution must be made little by
little |part 2: The Squaring of the Circle”, Galeria Raquel Arnaud, Sao
Paolo, Brasil, 2012; “Sotto la Strada la Spiaggia”, Fondazione Sandretto Re
Rebaudengo, Turin; “ Il bel paese dell'arte”, GAMEC, Bergamo, 2011; “Pleure
qui peut rit qui veut” – Premio Furla 2011, Palazzo Pepoli, Bologna; 2010
“Temporaneo – Contemporary Art in the Evolving City”, organized by Nomas
Foundation and IMF Foundation, Rome; “Practicing Memory – In the time of an
all-engaging present”, Fondazione Pistoletto, Biella.
http://www.francescoarena.com/
In 2011 Arena was shortlisted for the Premio Furla, Palazzo Pepoli, Bologna.
In 2009 he won the Premio Fondazione Ermanno Casoli, Fabriano, and Premio
LUM for Contemporary Art, I Edition, LUM, Libera Università Mediterranea,
Bari. He has been has been artist in residence at Villa Arson, Nice.
THE PREMIO NEW YORK , a prize for emerging Italian artists, awards winners
annually with a four-month residency in New York to pursue their art in the
global capital of the art world. Sponsored by THE ITALIAN CULTURAL
INSTITUTE OF NEW YORK, THE ITALIAN ACADEMY FOR ADVANCED STUDIES, COLUMBIA
UNIVERSITY, AND THE ITALIAN MINISTRY OR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Directorate General for
Cultural Promotion and Cooperation), the prize was conceived in 2002.
FRANCESCO ARENA (installation and performance)
“My Sunday in New York, 2012-2013" and "2,794"
ANNA FRANCESCHINI (film and video)
“'For in and out, above, about, below, 'Tis
nothing but a Magic Shadow-Show', Act II”
CONTACTS:
Allison Jeffrey (Italian Academy)
aj211@columbia.edu
Fabio Troisi (Italian Cultural Institute)
Fabio.troisi@esteri.it
RSVP at
http://www.italianacademy.columbia.edu
or email
events.iicnewyork@esteri.it
Tuesday, March 26, 6:00-8:00 pm (one night only)
The Italian Academy
1161 Amsterdam Avenue (south of 118th Street) - New York, NY 10027