Blanche ete'
dal 19/6/2002 al 15/7/2002
Segnalato da
19/6/2002
Blanche ete'
Studio Caparrelli, London
Olivastri's first solo UK exhibition at Studio Caparrelli, presents a display of objets d'art: handbags, necklaces, rings and ornaments made of unusual materials ranging from twisted metal to terracotta, silken thread to medical gauze. On the face of it, the pieces appear to have reinvented the world of accessories as art. But a closer look reveals a darker, deeper side.
An exhibition of works by Gioia Olivastri
We all know that handbag design is an art form, but in the art of the young Italian artist, Gioia Olivastri, this potent symbol of femininity is transformed into
sculpture.
blanche été, Olivastri's first solo UK exhibition at Studio Caparrelli, 21 June - 15 July, presents a display of objets d'art: handbags, necklaces, rings and
ornaments made of unusual materials ranging from twisted metal to terracotta, silken thread to medical gauze. On the face of it, the pieces appear to have reinvented
the world of accessories as art. But a closer look reveals a darker, deeper side.
The clearest artistic parallel to the concepts underlying this familiar-looking - yet unsettling - range of pieces is to be seen in the work of the great French-American
artist Louise Bourgeois.
As with much of Bourgeois work, familiar objects and forms, relating to the artist's own life (e.g. pottery from her childhood in rural
Tuscany, fabrics from her work in the Milan fashion world) are reconstructed, emerging, transformed, as entities in their own rights. As in Bourgeois' famous Spiders
(Tate Modern 2000) there is a duality in Olivastri's work.
A battle between security and danger, calm and anxiety. Aggressive elements lie just below the surface,
erotic thoughts just visible in the shapes of the materials used, in the softness of the silk and the warmth of the terracotta.
Gioia Olivastri lives and works in Milan. She was born in Cortona and spent her childhood in the Etruscan countryside outside the walled city. At the age of 20 she
went to Florence to study art and design under the famous designer Emilio Pucci. After completing her studies she moved to Milan where she worked as illustrator
for the magazine Fashion. She has held exhibitions in Bologna, Milan, Florence, Rome and has works in permanent collections in these and other major Italian cities.
Preview: Thursday, 20 June 6.30pm-10.30pm
Open: Mon-Fri 11am-5pm by appointment
PRESS CONTACT: JESSICA WOOD, ARTSINFORM 020 7627 4407
Immagine: Collana con Bozzolo, 2002
Studio Caparrelli, Flat D, 44 Bramham Gardens, London SW5 0HQ
Tel: 020 7370 1714
Tube: Earl's Court