P.I.O. at Hackney Wicked Art Festival - LONDON

present

P.I.O. [Perfect Italian Obsession]

P.I.O. [Perfect Italian Obsession]

2009

c-print on plexiglass

17x15cm

© Michele Drascek

We are collapsing in the disorder and in the banality.

We are on the ragged edge.

[Riccardo Muti, orchestra conductor]

h

Italy runs the risk to turn into a cultural Disneyland.

[Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek director]

h

This is a work on the special case of the current Italian Prime Minister. The Italian Prime Minister represents and strengthens the concept of macchietta, the worldwide typical and stereotyped image of the Italian people.

He is a cultural obsession.

He is a political obsession: 3rd time Prime Minister.

He is a psychological obsession: the firm belief to be in the right and to do the right thing.

He is a behavioural obsession: the known international gaffes.

He is an obsession for himself: the unlimited need of power of a self-made man.

The image that I choose is a representative posture of the power.

The blurring of the portrait is the consequence of his obsessions which brings to loose the contact with the Real. And it is the consequence of his cultural, political, psychological and behavioural way of acting, so unreal that it is quite difficult by this time to recognize it like possible.

This work communicate how deep is the impact of the Italian Prime Minister personal behaviour and way of govern the Country on the outside general perception of the Country itself and, moreover, of the Italian people.

It isn’t funny anymore. It is a theatrically tragic situation.

Hackney Wicked Art Festival
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Various locations around Hackney Wick
E9 and Fish Island, E3
LONDON
http://www.hackneywicked.com/