SO MANY MEN
Alessandro Mancassola and Barbara Ceriani Basilico, Gaia Fugazza, Bruno Muzzolini, Fani Zguro
Opening 20 september 2009 h 19.00
From 21 september to 10 october 2009
The Promenade Gallery is proud to present the project “So Many Men”, that consists in these works:
We met Roye Lee in the streets of central Milan and we have listened to his voice singing and telling unbelievable stories. After 35 years lived as a clochard he has returned on stage (teatro Out-Off, Milan), alone, with his emotions and his blues and country songs. The video is a fragment showing, through gazes, gestures and lyrics, a life to the extreme, an uncontrollable energy: this is our portrait of “Roye Lee” (Alessandro Mancassola and Barbara Ceriani Basilico).
"Men Looking” is one of the images from artist's photo-reportage of Eurosatory Paris 2008, the international Army Fair. Because of security reasons the access to this event was restricted only to invited guests from the defense industry. The artists portraits the investors and the soldiers in their efforts to create a contest to present their products. Only men between men from the same field, a documentarist image of this representation of technological innovation, plans and power (Gaia Fugazza)
The video “Anema e core” represents the nucleus of this exploration. Set in a volcanic area of Iceland, the video features the volcanologist Gudmundur Eggertsson, against a desolate landscape of black rock and wind singing Anema e core, an icon of the canzone napoletana which has always been one of the great passions of this energetic Northern character. Eyes closed and earphones in, Eggertsson sings softly, apparently in a world of his own, unaware of the bleak beauty of the natural world around him. His singing seems to give him the force to withstand the violent gusts of wind that sweep the landscape and billow out his clothes (Bruno Muzzolini).
In “Selfportrait” the artist seems to be following the late Rembrandt’s track, when the lack of models left him working by himself. The room where it was shot is incredibly dark, and the same lone tiny red light allow the camera to capture the artist’s still nose, forehead and hair. The screen displays nothing but the portrait of the artist lost in the darkness suffused in red. The picture is still, with almost nothing happening. The sound is cut out of the footage. “Selfportrait” seems to be a single frame, albeit being a video-loop lasting several minutes. The strong sense of intimacy it shows is not meant to represent man’s dark side, its solitude or its sense of guilt, but the sublime moments of intimacy and reflection, the silent form of being (Fani Zguro).
Alessandro Mancassola (Vicenza, 1979) and Barbara Ceriani Basilico (Varese, 1979) lives and works in Milan. They have exhibited also at Fondazione Merz in Turin, Fondazione Bevilacqua la Masa in Venice, Careof in Milan, Neon in Bologna and 26cc in Rome. Gaia Fugazza (Milan, 1985). Lives and works in Paris. She has exhibited also at Isola Art Center in Milan, The Mountain School of Arts in Los Angeles, Museo de Arte Moderna in Medellin and La Generale en Manufacture in Paris. Bruno Muzzolini (Brescia 1964). Lives and works between Brescia and Milan. He has exhibited also at The National Gallery of Arts in Tirana, The National Gallery of Arts in Prishtina, Valenzuela & Klenner Gallery in Bogota, Fabio Paris Gallery in Brescia and The Living Art Museum in Reykjavik. Fani Zguro (Tirana, 1977). Lives and works in Berlin. He has exhibited also at Tirana Biennal, Mediterraneo Biennal in Taviano, Young Artists Bucharest Biennal, Museo de Arte Moderna in Medellin and Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin.