Saturday 1 March 2008

Against the Unknowns / Sconfini (Beyond the Borders). Paintings.

A series of dyptichs for Sconfini (Beyond the Borders), a group show of five artists from five different Countries of Estern Europe curated by Giovanna Felluga, part of the exhibition Against the Unknowns in Public Space of Contemporary Art Villa Toppo Florio, Buttrio, Udine (Italia) in March 2008.
www.spacbuttrio.it/eventi/ci/ci.html


Public Space of Contemporary Art
Villa Toppo Florio

The artist presents three pictorial works, diptychs and one installation at the exhibition Sconfini - Contro Ignoti (Beyond the Borders – Against the Unknowns). Small dimensions of the paintings show the overwhelming care for the detail that the artist has been demonstrating since his early works. "The pleasure of working on small dimensions is a challenge, a clear refusal towards the art as a shock," says Drascek.
The viewer has to discover the work of art by getting closer, dedicating an adequate amount of time to perceive the energy and the message that it emanates, as if he would create an intimate and private relation with the painting. All three diptychs become small catalysers filled with preciousness and mystery. Who is the slave of corruption and the installation The Unknowns don't show themselves have been created explicitly for the exhibition. The political theme of global corruption is of great interest for the artist. Every year he confronts himself with this theme by consulting various online portals, unfortunately still not well known to a wider public, where he draws the inspiration. To convey the corruption perceptions index on a geographical level is one of the studies carried out by Transparency International (www.trasparency.org) that visually expresses the main theme of the exhibition in a clear way.
In the first painting, two images of children clash: on one hand, the malnutrition of Third World Countries compared with the obesity and the supply of “laboratory” food that is ingested daily in the western societies, on the other, two demonstrations of extreme consequences to which an inherent corruption of the global system can lead.
In other two diptychs and in the installation, moreover, all united under the same title The Unknowns don't show themselves, Michele Drascek recreated an atmosphere, a blurry environment where one can catch a glimpse of the Unknowns, perceive their presence, imagine their action, even if they stay in the twilight. The use of neon blue, as a constituent element of the installation, creates a “cooling” effect of the exhibition area that drives the observer inside a mysterious aura, in a world made of shadows and landscapes, similar to the one depicted on the panels of the work of art itself. Drascek says: "You cannot tell who is corrupted, yet one is aware of their presence that has become even habitual: known, perhaps morally condemned, but integrated, tolerated or even justified...because, like Honoré de Balzac wrote in "Father Goriot": "Corruption is the weapon of superfluous mediocrity".

Giovanna Felluga


The Unknowns don't show themselves dyptich
acrylic and oil on canvas
30 x 20 cm.


The trail of the Cirrupt dyptich
acrylic and oil on canvas
30 x 20 cm



The sons of corruption. Who is the slave of corruption? dyptich
collage, acrylic, oil and charcoal; paper on canvas
15 x 20 cm.
20 x 15 cm.




Against the Unknowns / Sconfini (Beyond the Borders). Installation.

The new full-scale light installation The Unknowns don't show themselves for Sconfini (Beyond the Borders), part of the exhibition Against the Unknowns in Public Space of Contemporary Art Villa Toppo Florio, Buttrio, Udine (Italia) in March 2008.

The installation The Unknowns don't show themselves have been created explicitly for the exhibition.
Michele Drascek recreated an atmosphere, a blurry environment where one can catch a glimpse of the Unknowns, perceive their presence, imagine their action, even if they stay in the twilight. The use of neon blue, as a constituent element of the installation, creates a “cooling” effect of the exhibition area that drives the observer inside a mysterious aura, in a world made of shadows and landscapes, similar to the one depicted on the panels of the work of art itself.
Giovanna Felluga


The Unknowns don't show themselves
site specific installation
plexiglas, print, light
90 x 120 cm. each plate


The Unknowns don't show themselves
full-scale light installation

Ho kryptos tes kardias anthropos (The hidden man of the heart)


Concept and development: Michele Drascek and Maja Slavec
Photography: Maja Slavec http://maja-slavec.blogspot.com/

Curator for the Brides on tour* stops in Gorizia (Italia) e Ljubljana (Slovenia), Michele Drascek, in collaboration with the photographer Maja Slavec, produced a work for the slovenian stage of the tour and for the final exhibition that will take place in Byblos Art Gallery, Verona (Italia).

Ho Kryptos tes kardias anthrophos (The hidden man of the heart) [I Pt 1,4] is a sentence that suggests to the women to take care of the hidden being that they bring inside of them. Two brides, two hidden beings.

[*Brides on tour is a unic and one-time trip of two brides thumbing through the Mediterranean area [bridesontour.fotoup.net]. Along the route they will stop to meet artists, associations , local craftswoman, museums and foundations, but also cultural and pacifist association with whom they will make some symbolic acts like the feet washing, the daily dress washing and also an interaction with them job. The purpose is to explore and raise every possible attestation with videos, photos and written diaries]




What is white? notebook project. January 15, 2008 - May 15, 2008

WORK IN PROGRESS!

Materials:
WHAT IS WHITE? Notebook:
black cover, white letters on black background, 9,3 x 14,3 cm. each.
WHAT IS WHITE? T-Shirt:
white cotton, white letters on black background, size S and L.
WHAT IS WHITE? Box:
white box, white letters on black background, size derives from numbers of notebooks completed.
WHAT IS WHITE? Photographies:
colour photographies, photographic paper , 21 x 27 cm. each.


All designs of WHAT IS WHITE? notebook project is a gafo/gabrielli fabrizio design.

The very first moment I saw the topic of “WHAT IS WHITE?” Contest, I immediately took my notebook and wrote the first thing that crossed my mind: Sophie Scholl die Weiße Rose (The WHITE rose) resistance group student from Munich executed by the Gestapo in 1943 This question swiftly brought to my mind - stream of consciousness – a photo of a young female student Sophie Scholl, published in the book The White Rose which I read in my first university yearS. My mental association is one strong and complex memory. What mental associations will others activate? Before I commence my work, I write a lot. Writing is a fundamental step in my creative process. The contest raised a question, I answered in writing and the idea for the WHAT IS WHITE? Notebook project was born. The curiosity, to find out from other people what is their first association/idea/answer that comes to their mind (the idea of passing your provocation on others), making it a survey tool for Terminal00, brought me to Ljubljana. I was walking about with my first notebook, asking people to answer a query, on the spot and everywhere: in bars, libraries, during a dinner, before a concert, on the street, etc. My notebook has now a plentiful collection of impressions. The idea – already in course - is to make a small library of notebooks, linking various Balkan metropolises: in each of these cities, there will be one “WHAT IS WHITE?” notebook in circulation. Collaborators with notebooks are ready to ask the question, documenting the answers of the local people. The simultaneous circulation of notebooks in different metropolises is a part of the project idea: to cover such a wide and complex geographical, social, geopolitical and cultural area like the Balkans, with the local circulation of a traditional documenting tool like a notebook. Literally, these notebooks physically cover a geographical space! Information Technologies (email, websites, etc.) would be easier and faster to manage, but decontextualised and therefore fruitless. Then there is handwriting: every personal and peculiar mark of the interviewees, on the entire Balkan territory, which is still politically difficult, will be a part of this unique collection. What a strong metaphor! Once filled in, notebooks will be sent back by mail to the point of collection: Ljubljana, Slovenia. The notebooks will be packaged in a “WHAT IS WHITE?” box, which will be sent to London. This will represent another visual tool during the transport phase that will have an active role of asking the question, creating curiosity. The result of the project will be left to judgement directly to the public: notebooks of different origins will be exhibited in a unique small set and exposed on a white bookshelf (I will construct an hand made one), ready for consultation and reading. The challenges are numerous: with what differences – minor or relevant or more, conflicting – will answer the public to the provocation in various Balkan countries? What difficulties will the compilation of the notebook encounter? Therefore, how long will the filling in take in different metropolises? Will there be a constant recurrence of answers? Will there be new curiosities discovered? Etc. The project is accompanied with a “WHAT IS WHITE?” T-shirt. To wear it is like to ask the question. This is another contribution to evaluate the curiosity of people, sent to all collaborators of every metropolis, who will have to document with a photograph, in a public or private place, the presence of this simple visual suggestion in their city. All the photos will then be exposed together in the library of notebooks. Some people, who saw me wearing the t-shirt, already asked me what it is about: "It’s about responding!" Therefore, I collect more ideas on the subject.
[* It was required to write all answers in English language, and where not possible, in the language of the place of origin.]


Notebook
black cover, white letters on black background
9,3 x 14,3 cm. each
[gafo/gabrielli fabrizio design]


Box
white box, white letters on black background
size derives from numbers of notebooks completed
[gafo/gabrielli fabrizio design]



T-Shirt
white cotton, white letters on black background
size S and L
[gafo/gabrielli fabrizio design]



The Circle: parachute and smile. Or how to protect yourself in the Art System

The new project includes a series of light source performances and photographies. The main theme is the Artist, the surroundings and circumstances of the life of the Artist inside the Art System. March 2008.


The Circle: parachute
digital print on photographic paper
100 x 70 cm.


The Circle: smile
digital print on photographic paper
100 x 70 cm.