Arpiani Pagliarini
dal 19/1/2001 al 3/3/2001
Segnalato da
19/1/2001
Arpiani Pagliarini
AC Project Room, New York
Arpiani Pagliarini take their own lives, their relationship to each other and their position as artists in society as a point of departure for their work. This work, which could be described as interventions in mass communication, supersedes common parameters of performance art by becoming part of the mass media itself. Raffaella Arpiani and Federico Pagliarini have collaborated since 1992, but only recently consolidated their unity as artists: they chose to reach an official recognition mediated by an Italian TV-court entitled "Forum" (1998). Relying on the judge's and the audience's decision, Federico and Raffaella made their personal story including their quarrel over intel-lectual property public.
The AC Project Room is pleased to announce the first exhibition of Italian artist couple Arpiani Pagliarini in the United States.
Arpiani Pagliarini take their own lives, their relationship to each other and their position as artists in society as a point of departure for their work. This work, which could be described as interventions in mass communication, supersedes common parameters of performance art by becoming part of the mass media itself.
Raffaella Arpiani and Federico Pagliarini have collaborated since 1992, but only recently consolidated their unity as artists: they chose to reach an official recognition mediated by an Italian TV-court entitled "Forum" (1998). Relying on the judge's and the audience's decision, Federico and Raffaella made their personal story including their quarrel over intel-lectual property public. Judge Santi Licheri made their partnership official and declared that their surnames should be paired in alphabetical order.
This work is part of an ongoing series of interventions in mass communication. Arpiani Pagliarini have participated in Italian television programs such as the "Valdenza Show" (1995) and "Uomini e donne" (Men and Women) (1997). They participated in a political podium discussion by lip-syncing their own pre-recorded statements (1997). They have also written over 30 letters to a wide range of magazines (fashion, scandal, teenage, cooking, astrological, religious magazine, etc.) which were subsequently published including answers.
The artists use the descriptions of their personal problems as a pretense to discuss the issue of the artist's identity as viewed by the public.
Example of a letter published by Astra, year XIV, n.1, Jan. 2000, p. 176:
I catch a fish that terrorizes me..
I had a dream that might contain an important message. I was in a boat fishing on
the river Po when a huge torpedo-fish, a sort of fresh water shark, bit. It pulled
me adrift, but in the end I managed to pull it into the boat. Then from its jaws
the fish vomited a bottle containing a letter I myself had written. I was terrified.
I was born in July 1971. When I was a child my mother sent me fishing with my
father each time they had a fight. Is there a relationship with my dream?
Other works presented in this exhibition include:
Silurus Glanis, two embalmed fish heads, each holding a bottle containing a letter;
a 37 kg Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese imprinted with the artists' name and accompanied by a still life photograph and a set of cheese tools, all referring to the unity of Arpiani Pagliarini;
a series of "archaeological report" drawings entitled Ruins of the Flat in Via Montalcini 8, addressing the 1978 kidnapping of Aldo Moro;
and a large poster of the artists' resume printed on a Ferrari sports car.
AC Project Room
212 645 4970
Tuesday-Saturday, 10-6