Gianni Depaoli – Italian&Dutch Art by Elisa Manzoni

Dialoog tussen twee culturen: ITALIË en het dsg

Posted on April 27, 2023May 11, 2023 by criticoarte in Blog, Blog ing, Blog ita, blog-nl

Al in de 15e eeuw hadden de Nederlandse en Italiaanse kunst intense en interessante culturele uitwisselingen die het verloop van hun artistieke evolutie veranderden. Vandaag hebben hedendaagse Italiaanse kunst en hedendaagse Nederlandse kunst de grote kans om opnieuw met elkaar in dialoog te gaan in deze groepstentoonstelling die wordt gerealiseerd door de DSG Galerie in Assen in samenwerking met de Manzoni Kunst Galerie in Oosterwolde. Een doelgerichte en open dialoog waarin twee eeuwenoude culturen mijlpalen in de ontwikkeling van hun cultureel-artistieke geschiedenis kunnen vergelijken en elkaar kunnen inspireren voor toekomstige poëtica. Een kans dus om de basis te leggen voor een moderne wederzijdse kennis en begrip waarin de kunst, voorbij de verscheidenheid van haar stilistische en thematische manifestaties, een nieuwe verenigde visie op de hedendaagse samenleving toont die de menselijke wereld met de goddelijke wereld wil bemiddelen.

Wat is dan het uiteindelijke doel van Kunst en de dialoog tussen deze twee culturen? Het doel van KUNST is de waarnemer de smaak van persoonlijke ontdekking bij te brengen en zijn eigen maatstaf te ontwikkelen. Dat betekent zien, empathisch voelen, vrij denken en handelen. Elke kunstenaar heeft een boodschap over te brengen en leert ons door zijn of haar werken vragen te stellen om het heden te begrijpen en ons eigen perspectief te verruimen, zelfs tot het punt dat het een gevoel van transcendentie stimuleert. Hoe meer KUNST de toeschouwer ertoe brengt zichzelf vragen te stellen, hoe meer hij een nieuw mens zal worden omdat hij in staat zal zijn kritisch te denken zonder de massa te volgen, wat resulteert in een aangenaam gevoel van persoonlijke groei en innerlijke rijkdom.

KUNST spreekt voor zich en is een levensoefening, een levensproject dat de mens onsterfelijkheid geeft en de menselijke wil toont om tot transcendentie te komen. Om de werken op hun best waar te nemen, heeft de toeschouwer een kwalitatieve tijd nodig om zijn eigen mening te vormen, zoals Kandinsky (1866 – 1944) zei “kunst gaat voorbij de grenzen waarin de tijd haar zou willen samenpersen en geeft de inhoud van de toekomst aan”: voorbij de oppervlakkigheid en onoplettendheid als gevolg van het hedendaagse massamediale bombardement, leert de verlengde tijd van bloei de mens de werken te voelen als een kostbaar geschenk. Uitgaande van de zintuiglijke gegevens en via emoties, kritische analyse en oriëntatie van acties, leert de kunst ons bezit te nemen van onze tijd om deze in het diepste innerlijk te ontmoeten.

De artistieke dialoog die hier op de tentoonstelling wordt ontwikkeld, is dus van fundamenteel belang voor de ontwikkeling van relaties tussen mensen, landen en culturen: hij bevordert de persoonlijke groei omdat hij vrijheid en het vermogen om zich uit te drukken vereist, evenals de bereidheid en het vermogen om naar anderen te luisteren en hen te leren kennen.

Exposerende kunstenaars: Leonardo Vecchiarino, Annemarie de Groot, Giorgio Riva, Nicole v.d. Veen-kerssies, Maurizio Brambilla, Klaas Koops, Gianluca Somaschi, Gerke Procee, Ilaria Sperotto, Saskia Dingelstad, Marina De Carlo, Emy Noya, Luca Azzurro, Gianluca Cremonesi, Gianni Depaoli, Giulio Pettinato, Susanna Maccari, Laura Zani, Helma v.d. Water, Claudio Caporaso e Wikje Schoon.

Internationale groepstentoonstelling
29 april tot 1 juli 2023
Opening 28 april 2023 om 16.00 uur.
DSG Galerie
Koopmansplein 16, Assen
Warenhuis Vanderveen
http://www.drentsschildersgenootschap.nl

Helma v.d. Water, Z.t. keramiek gedraaid aardewerk, 30×19 cm.

Dialogo tra due culture: Italia e la DSG

Già a partire dal XV secolo l’arte olandese e l’arte italiana intrattennero scambi culturali intensi ed interessanti che cambiarono il corso della loro evoluzione artistica. Oggi l’arte contemporanea italiana e l’arte contemporanea olandese hanno la grande opportunità di dialogare nuovamente tra loro in questa mostra collettiva realizzata dalla DSG Galerie di Assen in collaborazione con la Manzoni Kunst Galerie di Oosterwolde. Un dialogo propositivo ed aperto in cui due culture secolari potranno confrontare i traguardi dell’evoluzione della propria storia culturale-artistica nonché ispirarsi a vicenda per future poetiche. Un’occasione quindi per gettare le basi per una moderna conoscenza e comprensione reciproca in cui, al di là della varietà delle sue manifestazioni stilistiche e tematiche, l’arte mostra una nuova visione unitaria della società contemporanea che cerca di mediare il mondo umano con il mondo divino.

Qual è allora lo scopo ultimo dell’Arte ed il dialogo tra queste due culture? L’ARTE ha il fine di educare l’osservatore al gusto della scoperta personale e di sviluppare il proprio metro di valutazione. Il che significa vedere, sentire empaticamente, pensare ed agire in modo libero. Ogni artista ha un messaggio da comunicare e grazie alle sue opere insegna a porsi delle domande per capire il presente e per ampliare una propria prospettiva, sino a stimolare il senso della trascendenza. Più l’ARTE porterà l’osservatore a farsi delle domande e più questo diventerà una persona nuova in quanto saprà pensare criticamente senza seguire le masse, ottenendo una piacevole sensazione di crescita personale e ricchezza interiore.

L’ARTE parla da sola ed è un esercizio di vita, un progetto di vita che dà immortalità all’uomo e mostra la volontà umana di raggiungere la trascendenza. Per percepire al meglio le opere, l’osservatore ha bisogno di un tempo qualitativamente valido per creare una propria opinione, come disse Kandinskij (1866 – 1944) “l’arte oltrepassa i limiti nei quali il tempo vorrebbe comprimerla ed indica il contenuto del futuro”: andando oltre la superficialità e la disattenzione dovuta al bombardamento massmediatico contemporaneo, il tempo prolungato della fruizione insegna alle persone a sentire le opere come dono prezioso. Partendo dal dato sensoriale e passando attraverso le emozioni, l’analisi critica e l’orientamento delle azioni, l’arte ci insegna a prendere possesso del nostro tempo per incontrarla nell’interiorità più profonda.

Il dialogo artistico sviluppato qui alla mostra è quindi fondamentale per lo sviluppo delle relazioni tra persone, dei paesi delle culture: favorisce la crescita personale perché richiede libertà e abilità nell’esprimere sé stessi, così come volontà e capacità di ascoltare e conoscere gli altri.

Artisti in mostra: Leonardo Vecchiarino, Annemarie de Groot, Giorgio Riva, Nicole v.d. Veen-kerssies, Maurizio Brambilla, Klaas Koops, Gianluca Somaschi, Gerke Procee, Ilaria Sperotto, Saskia Dingelstad, Marina De Carlo, Emy Noya, Luca Azzurro, Gianluca Cremonesi, Gianni Depaoli, Giulio Pettinato, Susanna Maccari, Laura Zani, Helma v.d. Water, Claudio Caporaso e Wikje Schoon.

Mostra collettiva internazionale
Dal 29 aprile al 1 luglio 2023
opening il 28 aprile 2023 alle ore 16.00
DSG Galerie
Koopmansplein 16, Assen
Warenhuis Vanderveen
http://www.drentsschildersgenootschap.nl

Digitale catalogus: scan, open link and download catalogue

English Version

Dialogue between two cultures: Italy and the DSG

As early as the 15th century, Dutch and Italian art had intense and interesting cultural exchanges that changed the course of their artistic evolution. Today, contemporary Italian art and contemporary Dutch art have the great opportunity to dialogue with each other again in this group exhibition realised by the DSG Galerie in Assen in collaboration with the Manzoni Kunst Galerie in Oosterwolde. A purposeful and open dialogue in which two centuries-old cultures will be able to compare milestones in the evolution of their cultural-artistic history as well as inspire each other for future poetics. An opportunity, therefore, to lay the foundations for modern mutual knowledge and understanding in which, beyond the variety of its stylistic and thematic manifestations, art displays a new unified vision of contemporary society that seeks to mediate the human world with the divine world.

What then is the ultimate purpose of Art and the dialogue between these two cultures? The purpose of ART is to educate the observer in the taste for personal discovery and to develop his own yardstick. Which means seeing, feeling empathically, thinking and acting freely. Every artist has a message to communicate and through his or her works teaches us to ask questions in order to understand the present and to broaden our own perspective, even to the point of stimulating a sense of transcendence. The more ART will lead the observer to ask himself questions, the more he will become a new person as he will be able to think critically without following the masses, resulting in a pleasant feeling of personal growth and inner richness.

ART speaks for itself and is an exercise in life, a life project that gives man immortality and shows the human will to achieve transcendence. In order to perceive the works at their best, the observer needs a qualitative time to create his own opinion, as Kandinsky (1866 – 1944) said “art goes beyond the limits in which time would like to compress it and indicates the content of the future”: going beyond the superficiality and inattention due to the contemporary mass media bombardment, the prolonged time of fruition teaches people to feel the works as a precious gift. Starting from the sensory datum and passing through emotions, critical analysis and orientation of actions, art teaches us to take possession of our time in order to meet it in the deepest interiority.

The artistic dialogue developed here at the exhibition is therefore fundamental for the development of relationships between people, countries and cultures: it promotes personal growth because it requires freedom and the ability to express oneself, as well as a willingness and ability to listen to and get to know others.

Artists in the exhibition: Leonardo Vecchiarino, Annemarie de Groot, Giorgio Riva, Nicole v.d. Veen-kerssies, Maurizio Brambilla, Klaas Koops, Gianluca Somaschi, Gerke Procee, Ilaria Sperotto, Saskia Dingelstad, Marina De Carlo, Emy Noya, Luca Azzurro, Gianluca Cremonesi, Gianni Depaoli, Giulio Pettinato, Susanna Maccari, Laura Zani, Helma v.d. Water, Claudio Caporaso and Wikje Schoon.

International group exhibition
29 April to 1 July 2023
opening on 28 April 2023 at 4 p.m.
DSG Galerie
Koopmansplein 16, Assen
Warenhuis Vanderveen
http://www.drentsschildersgenootschap.nl

Woord aan de kunst!

Posted on December 22, 2021January 24, 2022 by criticoarte in Blog, blog-nl

Heb je je ooit afgevraagd wat de functie van Kunst is? Zoals bij deze gelegenheid, telkens wanneer wij de gelegenheid hebben kunst te ontmoeten, hebben wij een aangenaam gevoel van welzijn en verbetering, een echte innerlijke verrijking: actieve toeschouwers worden beeldhouwers en schilders tegelijk met de kunstenaars die het werk hebben gemaakt en, zoals Klimt (1862 – 1918) aan het begin van de 20e eeuw zei, “wij noemen kunstenaars niet alleen de scheppers, maar ook degenen die van kunst genieten, dat wil zeggen, die in staat zijn artistieke creaties met hun ontvankelijke zintuigen te herbeleven en te evalueren”.

Het doel van kunst en cultuur is de waarnemer zowel de smaak voor persoonlijke ontdekking bij te brengen als zijn eigen maatstaf voor evaluatie te ontwikkelen. Dit betekent niet alleen ‘het is mooi, ik vind het mooi’ of ‘het is lelijk, ik vind het niet mooi’, maar vrij zien, invoelen, denken en handelen. Door hun verborgen boodschappen leren kunstwerken ons vragen te stellen om het heden te begrijpen en een steeds ruimer perspectief te krijgen, zelfs tot het punt dat ze een gevoel van transcendentie stimuleren. Hoe meer ART de kijker ertoe brengt zichzelf in vraag te stellen, hoe meer hij een betere burger zal worden omdat hij in staat zal zijn kritisch na te denken zonder de massa te volgen.

KUNST is geen nutteloze en ijdele bezigheid, maar een levensoefening, een levensproject dat de mens onsterfelijkheid geeft en de menselijke wil toont om tot transcendentie te komen. Om de werken zo goed mogelijk te kunnen waarnemen, heeft de toeschouwer een kwalitatief geldige tijd nodig om zijn eigen mening te vormen, zoals Kandinskij (1866 – 1944) zei “kunst overschrijdt de grenzen waarin de tijd haar zou willen comprimeren en geeft de inhoud van de toekomst aan”: voorbijgaand aan de oppervlakkigheid en onoplettendheid als gevolg van het hedendaagse massamediale bombardement, leert de verlengde tijd van bloei de mensen de werken te voelen als een kostbaar geschenk. Uitgaande van de zintuiglijke gegevens en overgaand in emoties, kritische analyse en oriëntatie van handelingen, leert de kunst ons bezit te nemen van onze tijd om haar te ontmoeten in de diepste innerlijkheid.

1 december 2021 – 14 Februari 2022

www.kunstcafeappelscha.nl

Participating artists:

Maurizio Brambilla, painter, Italy

Claudio Caporaso, sculptor, Italy

Gianluca Cremonesi, painter, Italy

Marina De Carlo, painter, Italy

Gianni Depaoli, conceptual artist, Italy

Sonja Hooglander, painter, Netherlands

Rob Koedijk, painter, Netherlands

Susanna Maccari, painter, Italy

Giulio Pettinato, painter, Italy

Helga Renders, sculptress, Germany

Giorgio Riva, painter, Italy

Marieke Samuels, painter, The Netherlands

Gianluca Somaschi, painter, Italy

Fabrizio Spadini, painter, Italy

Ilaria Sperotto, painter, Italy

Helma Van De Water, ceramist, Netherlands

Leonardo Vecchiarino, painter, Italy

Frank Vincent, sculptor, Netherlands

English version:

Have you ever asked yourself what the role of Art is? As on this occasion, every time we have the opportunity to meet art we have a pleasant sensation of well-being and improvement, a real inner wealth: active spectators become sculptors and painters at the same time as the artists who created the work and, as Klimt (1862 – 1918) said at the beginning of the 20th century, one “calls artists not only the creators, but also those who enjoy art, that is, who are able to relive and value artistic creations with their receptive senses”.

The purpose of ART and culture is to educate the observer both to a taste for personal discovery and to develop his own yardstick of judgement. This does not mean just ‘it’s beautiful, I like it’ or ‘it’s ugly, I don’t like it’ but to see, feel empathically, think and act freely. Thanks to their hidden messages, works of art teach us to ask questions in order to understand the present and to have an increasingly broader perspective, even to the point of stimulating a sense of transcendence. The more ART leads the viewer to question himself, the more he will become a better citizen because he will be able to think critically without following the masses.

ART is not a futile and idle activity, but an exercise in life, a life project that gives immortality to man and shows the human will to reach transcendence. In order to best understand the works of art, the observer needs a qualitative amount of time to create his or her own opinion. As Kandinskij (1866 – 1944) said, “art goes beyond the limits in which time would like to compress it and indicates the content of the future”: going behind the superficiality and inattention due to the contemporary mass media bombardment, the extended time of viewing teaches people to feel the works of art as a precious gift. Starting from the sensory data and passing through emotions, critical analysis and the orientation of actions, art teaches us to take possession of our time to meet it in the deepest interiority.

Art in the Garden – Kunst in de Tuin

Posted on August 24, 2021August 26, 2021 by criticoarte in Blog, Blog ing, blog-nl

Write the date in your diary!

Saturday 28 August 2021 you are all invited to the Art in the Garden exhibition at the Manzoni Kunst Galerie, from 11am to 5pm! The gallery will be officially inaugurated and we will celebrate the artists participating in the project Contemporary Italian Art in the Netherlands and the new entry Rob Koedijk, a Dutch artist from Assen who has enthusiastically accepted the idea of making the two artistic cultures dialogue.
We are waiting for you to drink a coffee, a tea or a glass of wine and talk a bit about Art!

Art in the Garden

Saturday 28 August 2021

Manzoni Kunst Galerie

Snellingerdijk 122, 8431 ES Oosterwolde, Netherlands

from 11am to 5 pm

Artist:

Giorgio Riva

Susanna Maccari

Gianluca Cremonesi

Maurizio Brambilla

Giuliano Giuggioli

Gianluca Somaschi

Ilaria Sperotto

Marina De Carlo

Gianni Depaoli

Leonardo Vecchiarino

Rob Koedijk

Noteer de datum in uw agenda!

Zaterdag 28 augustus 2021 bent u allen uitgenodigd voor de tentoonstelling Kunst in de Tuin in de Manzoni Kunst Galerie, van 11.00 tot 17.00 uur! De galerie wordt officieel geopend en we vieren de kunstenaars die deelnemen aan het project Hedendaagse Italiaanse Kunst in Nederland en de nieuwe binnenkomer Rob Koedijk, een Nederlandse kunstenaar uit Assen die met enthousiasme het idee heeft aanvaard om de twee artistieke culturen met elkaar in dialoog te brengen.
Wij wachten op u om een koffie, een thee of een glas wijn te drinken en wat over kunst te praten!

Art in the Garden

Zaterdaag 28 Augustus 2021

Manzoni Kunst Galerie

Snellingerdijk 122, 8431 ES Oosterwolde, Netherlands

van 11 tot 17

Kunstenaars:

Giorgio Riva

Susanna Maccari

Gianluca Cremonesi

Maurizio Brambilla

Giuliano Giuggioli

Gianluca Somaschi

Ilaria Sperotto

Marina De Carlo

Gianni Depaoli

Leonardo Vecchiarino

Rob Koedijk

Vraag aan de kunstenaar: Gianni Depaoli

Posted on May 17, 2021April 26, 2021 by criticoarte in Blog, blog-nl

Hoewel het nog maar enkele maanden geleden is dat ik de Piemontese kunstenaar Gianni Depaoli via het web ontmoette, is er een diep en wederzijds vertrouwen en respect ontstaan, evenals een grote bewondering voor de conceptuele werken van grote elegantie die hij creëert. Gianni Depaoli is de enige conceptuele kunstenaar in het project Hedendaagse Italiaanse Kunst in Nederland omdat hij, dankzij zijn intense artistieke poëtica, mijn aangeboren wantrouwen tegen deze vorm van hedendaagse kunst aan het wankelen heeft gebracht. De kunst van Gianni Depaoli is gebaseerd op de principes van eco-duurzaamheid en biodiversiteit die op de toeschouwer worden overgebracht door de creatie van installaties en werken (picturaal en sculpturaal, figuratief en abstract), die verschillende betekenissen verzamelen en identiteiten aannemen die terug te voeren zijn op historische en culturele contexten, altijd nauw verbonden met het respect voor de zee en voor organisch afval dat geladen is met een artistieke, lyrische en poëtische waarde en dat een “nieuw icoon” en een “hedendaags fossiel” kan worden genoemd. De Piemontese kunstenaar is al internationaal bekend en is al enkele jaren in Nederland aanwezig; na de afwezigheid van het afgelopen decennium heeft hij besloten zich weer te presenteren met zijn nieuwe conceptuele werken in de Manzoni Kunst Galerie in Oosterwolde.

Maar laten we eindelijk het woord geven aan Gianni Depaoli:

U bent een conceptueel kunstenaar en schepper van nieuwe gekristalliseerde en lyrische hedendaagse iconen: hoe bent u deze weg ingeslagen? Vertel ons over je artistieke reis.
Het begon allemaal in september 2007, toen een moedige directeur als Marco Valle van het E. Caffi Museum in Bergamo, na het zien van een project van mij dat nog in de kinderschoenen stond, besloot een hele tentoonstelling aan mij te wijden: “Zwarte Zee”. Dat kleine aantal werken – slechts zeven – vertegenwoordigde mijn eerste publieke optreden. Uit dat tamelijk gelukkige debuut is een tamtam ontstaan waarbij vele andere musea betrokken waren. In deze dagen zijn mijn “Constatazioni”, zoals ik ze noem en geen aanklachten omdat het gaat om situaties die altijd onder ieders ogen zijn geweest, in vele musea en instellingen te zien. Zij zijn erin geslaagd nieuwsgierigheid te wekken en uiteindelijk te komen tot het eerste kunstmuseum dat mij heeft verwelkomd, de Galerij van Moderne Kunst in Genua, onder leiding van Maria Flora Giubilei met wie wij op een ongetwijfeld bizar idee zijn gekomen: het museum te “vervuilen” door ontheiligende werken, zoals het mijne, te combineren met de meesterwerken van de tentoonstelling. Een risico dat zal leiden tot de realisatie van een hele catalogus, toegevoegd aan een verlenging van nog eens drie maanden en een pagina over “Van Genua tot Genua”, een boek van Andrea Ranieri, wethouder van cultuur van de Ligurische hoofdstad. Een grote voldoening. Van de schepping van werken die ondubbelzinnig wezen op de door de mens veroorzaakte rampen, tot het gebruik van organisch afvalmateriaal was de stap kort, namelijk om met zijn afval een van de voornaamste voedingsmiddelen te veredelen die de wereld altijd heeft gevoed: de vis.

Uw atelier verschilt sterk van het atelier van een schilder en is bijna te vergelijken met een alchemistisch laboratorium of een operatiekamer: heeft u zin om de sluier van het mysterie te ontdekken en die aan ons publiek te beschrijven? Welke gereedschappen en materialen gebruikt u, welke technieken…?
Mijn atelier is het pakhuis dat werd gebruikt voor de invoer, verwerking en distributie van vis, dat wil zeggen een voormalig koelhuis dat nu Menotrenta Museum heet, de tentoonstellingszalen zijn de voormalige koelkamers, de voormalige laboratoria zijn mijn atelier, de kantoren zijn gedeeltelijk receptie maar vooral een condensatie van vroegere projecten, toekomstige of nooit voltooide. Het nieuwe onderzoek dat rond 2014 werd ontwikkeld met het gebruik van inkt en huiden van koppotigen die werden behandeld om de natuurlijke kleur van de livrei te behouden, dankzij een door mij gepatenteerde methode, en gemanipuleerd met stalen naalden en chirurgische scalpels, leidt tot een transformatie van het materiaal om schoonheid en transparantie te ontdekken. Deze nieuwe studie geeft nieuw leven aan het organisch afval dat ik beschouw als de schakel en de onuitwisbare herinnering aan het product dat de mens heeft gevoed. “Van het eetbare dat het lichaam voedt, tot de kunst die de geest voedt”. De materieschildering wordt de sterkste impuls voor het onderzoek naar de natuurlijke kleur, die de enige gebruikte kleur zal worden, gereguleerd door de manipulatie van de chromatoforen die in het produkt aanwezig zijn, zonder toevoeging van kunstmatige kleuren. Met het project Abissi onderzoekt hij het bekende en het onbekende en de kronkelige wegen van het menselijk denken. Hij ontdekt en belicht de wonden en uitwassen van de gescheurde huid die afgronden en meanders worden waar gedachten verloren gaan en regenereren, en onthult zo het lijden dat ik heb ondergaan tijdens mijn levensweg, die ik definieer als mijn Via Crucis.

In 2010 had u de kans om de Affordable Art Fair in Amsterdam en de Open Art Fair in Utrecht bij te wonen: hoe voelde u zich toen en hoe hoopt u dat Nederland er in 2021 bij zal staan?
Het was voor mij een unieke ervaring, ook omdat ik meer dan 40 jaar met Nederland heb gewerkt: vanuit de havens van Urk, Volendam, Harlinger, Jimuiden importeerde ik Nederlandse vis voor scholen, schol. Toen ik kwam, bracht ik een project mee dat de geschiedenis van Nederland in verband met de visserij weergeeft, zoals mij verteld werd door plaatselijke vissers en producenten, en de ongelooflijke en buitengewone combinatie. Een klein land als onze regio heeft een product, de schol, dat over de hele wereld bekend is en gewaardeerd wordt, en nog een andere combinatie die de morfologie van die vis met Nederland verbindt, (maar dit zal ik pas onthullen als een Nederlandse openbare instelling mij zal uitnodigen om in Nederland een tentoonstelling te maken). Van daaruit begon mijn onderzoek en de eerste tentoonstelling met deze materialen werd in Nederland gemaakt, alle werken waren gemaakt met huiden van schol, historische visnetten, houten kisten uit de jaren 60 die nu in onbruik zijn geraakt. Het was een groot succes en ik kreeg ook een artikel in een plaatselijke krant opgedragen met de foto van een werk (Het Urkerland).

Wat zijn uw toekomstplannen voor de komende maanden? Waar ben je mee bezig?
Ik heb veel toekomstige projecten, zowel in termen van nieuw onderzoek dat ik doe als voor tentoonstellingen die we aan het voorbereiden zijn. Er zijn al veel evenementen gepland die zijn uitgesteld vanwege Covid 19, ik ben finalist in twee grote wedstrijden, ik bereid een solotentoonstelling voor die een belangrijke institutionele plaats zal innemen en ondersteund zal worden door een museum waar ik de werken die verkocht zullen worden zal schenken ten gunste van een vereniging die zich bezighoudt met de strijd tegen kanker, zoals in het verleden al is gedaan, en dat zal mijn voornaamste voorrecht voor de toekomst zijn (een belofte die ik aan mijn vrouw heb gedaan voordat ze wegvloog). Ik zal ook aanwezig zijn op enkele belangrijke afspraken in Italië en in het buitenland die reeds zijn gepland.

Wat is het uiteindelijke doel van de zeer persoonlijke en vernieuwende conceptuele kunst van Gianni Depaoli? Bent u niet bang dat slechts een kleine groep kunstliefhebbers de diepe boodschap begrijpt die uw werken uitdragen?
De werkelijkheid observeren en zo vormgeven dat mensen ervan kunnen genieten en zich ervan bewust worden, waarbij ik mijn innerlijk, mijn lijden maar ook het dagelijks genieten van de schoonheid die de natuur ons schenkt, extrapoleer. In mijn werken verschijnen gezichten, silhouetten soms openlijk onthuld en soms verborgen die mijn relatie met het onbekende en het zoeken naar de lichtheid van het zijn bekrachtigen. Onrust, bezorgdheid, angst, worden verbeeld door rijtwonden, afgronden en meanders die de huid verwonden, maar verdrijven door de transparante schoonheid van natuurlijke vormen en kleuren.
Ik ben altijd geïnteresseerd geweest in het naar voren brengen van het “detail”, het verbeelden van de backstage van het leven, het ontdekken van de verborgen constructie in plaats van te genieten van het eindresultaat. Het zijn de details die ons onderscheiden en ons uniek maken, onze onuitwisbare en herkenbare handtekening. Nee, ik maak me er geen zorgen over, integendeel, het fascineert me, als je de grens overgaat voor een experimenteel proces weet je al dat je moeilijkheden zult tegenkomen, moeilijkheden die zelfs de grote meesters zijn tegengekomen, Burri, Arman, Penone, Pistoletto om er maar een paar te noemen en nu zien we waar zij zijn aangekomen. Nu de kunstmensen op deze nieuwe procédés zijn voorbereid, zijn zij zelf op zoek naar nieuwe producties die hen kunnen verbazen. Gelukkig heb ik altijd verzamelaars ontmoet die in iets vernieuwends en ongewoons wilden investeren en musea die iets bijzonders wilden presenteren, wat betreft het materiaal, de manipulatie ervan, maar tegelijk ook zeer sterke concepten uitdrukken.

Gianni Depaoli, From Emotion to Reason, mixed media on fibre, leather and squid ink, methacrylate, 2020, 154x40x3 cm. “…giacché, quando s’è per la strada della passione, è naturale che i più ciechi guidino”(“…for when one is on the road of passion, it is natural that the most blind should lead”): citation taken from the historical essay Storia della Colonna Infame by Alessandro Manzoni, included as an Appendix in the tenth edition of the historical novel I Promessi Sposi of 1840. This quote is emblematic of the historical period we are living in and highlights decisions made irrationally under the emotional pull of the moment.
Detail
Detail
Detail
Detail

Gianni Depaoli, VentiVenti (2020), mixed media on fibre, leather and squid ink, methacrylate, 2020, 154x40x3 cm. At the top, the inscription “Duemilaventi” (two thousand and twenty) is continuously repeated along the entire length of the work to remind us who escaped from Covid-19 and who did not.
Detail

Gianni Depaoli, Everybody against everybody, mixed media on fibre, leather and squid ink, methacrylate, 2021, 154x40x3 cm. From the 2016 song ‘Tutti contro tutti’ by the musical group Stadio to highlight the confusion of the people stirred by the words.
Detail with italian song: “Non mi fido di te-che così bene chiacchieri-perché hai già dimostrato-che non ti fai scrupoli.-E non mi fido di me,-perché per difendermi-ho dovuto imparare-anche ad assomigliarti.-È una guerra ogni giorno,-ogni istante che ti volti,-qualcuno cerca di fotterti,-non ci sono più regole-la parola d’ordine è-tutti contro tutti.-Non c’è più vergogna,-hai le spalle al muro,-non vince il più bravo,-ma il più furbo di sicuro.-Non fidarti di me-non sono quello che credi;-io parlo male di te-quando tu non mi vedi;-Con le tue strategie-ottieni quello che vuoi-ma con me non funziona,-lo so che gioco fai-È una guerra ogni giorno,-ogni istante che ti volti,-qualcuno cerca di fotterti,-non ci sono più regole-la parola d’ordine è-tutti contro tutti,-Bisognerebbe scoppiasse-una rivoluzione,-o che almeno tornasse-la buona educazione”.
Detail. English translation of the song: “I don’t trust you-who talks so well-because you have already proved-That you have no scruples-And I don’t trust me,-because to defend myself-I had to learn-even to look like you.-It’s a war every day,-every moment you turn around,-someone is trying to fuck you up,-There are no rules anymore-The password is-Everyone against everyone.-There’s no more shame-Your back’s against the wall-It’s not the best who wins,-The smartest guy wins.-Don’t trust me-I’m not what you think I am-I speak ill of you-when you don’t see me; With your strategies-You get what you want-But it doesn’t work with me,-I know what your game is-It’s a war every day-Every moment that you turn around-Someone’s trying to fuck you up-There are no rules anymore-The password is-Everyone against everyone,-There should be-A revolution-or at least a return-good manners”.
Detail

Gianni Depaoli, Solo, Mixed media on fibre, leather and squid ink, methacrylate, 2020, 154x40x3 cm. From Pope Francis’ invocation against the pandemic (27 March 2020) in a deserted St Peter’s Square: “…in silenzio assordante e di vuoto desolante. Ci siamo trovati soli e impauriti. Ci siamo resi conto di trovarci sulla stessa barca fragili e disorientati allo stesso tempo…”(“…in deafening silence and desolating emptiness. We found ourselves alone and afraid. We realised that we were in the same boat, fragile and disoriented at the same time…”).
Detail.

Gianni Depaoli, Expelled, mixed media on leather fibre and methacrylate squid ink, 2021, 154x40x3 cm. Bible, from the Book of Genesis III, 1-24: the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.
Detail. Gianni Depaoli, Expelled, mixed media on leather fibre and methacrylate squid ink, 2021, 154x40x3 cm.

Met grote dankbaarheid dank ik Gianni Depaoli voor zijn beschikbaarheid. Ik herinner de lezers eraan dat zij andere video’s kunnen lezen en bekijken op de pagina gewijd aan de kunstenaar op criticoarte.org: Gianni Depaoli – Italian art by ELisa Manzoni (criticoarte.org).

Ask the artist: Gianni Depaoli

Posted on May 17, 2021April 26, 2021 by criticoarte in Blog, Blog ing

Although it has only been a few months since I first met Piedmontese artist Gianni Depaoli via the web, a deep mutual trust and esteem has been established, as well as a great admiration for the elegant conceptual works he creates. Gianni Depaoli is the only conceptual artist in the Contemporary Italian Art in the Netherlands project because his intense artistic poetics have shaken my innate distrust of this contemporary art form. Gianni Depaoli’s art is based on the principles of eco-sustainability and bio-diversity, which are conveyed to the observer through the creation of installations and works (pictorial and sculptural, figurative and abstract), which gather different meanings and take on identities that can be traced back to historical and cultural contexts that are always closely linked to respect for the sea and organic waste, which is charged with artistic, lyrical and poetic value and can be called a “new icon” and a “contemporary fossil”. The Piedmontese artist is already internationally known and has been present in the Netherlands for several years; after his absence in the last decade, he has decided to show his new conceptual works at the Manzoni Kunst Galerie in Oosterwolde.

But let’s finally give the opportunity to Gianni Depaoli to speak:

You are a conceptual artist and creator of new crystallised and lyrical contemporary icons: how did you get on this path? Tell us about your artistic journey.
It all began in September 2007 when a courageous director like Marco Valle of the E. Caffi Museum in Bergamo, after seeing a project of mine that was still in its embryonic stage, decided to dedicate an entire exhibition to me: “Mare Nero” (Black Sea). That small number of works – just seven – represented my first public appearance. From that rather fortunate debut, a tam-tam started that involved many other museums. These days, my ‘Constatazioni’, as I call them and not denunciations, since these situations have always been in the public eye, are on display in many museums and institutions. They have managed to arouse curiosity and finally arrive at the first art museum that has welcomed me in the Gallery of Modern Art in Genoa, directed by Maria Flora Giubilei, with whom I came up with a certainly bizarre idea: to “pollute” the museum by combining desecrating works, such as mine, with the masterpieces on display. A gamble that will lead to the production of an entire catalogue, plus an extension of another three months and a page on “From Genoa to Genoa”, a book by Andrea Ranieri, councillor for culture of the Ligurian capital. A great satisfaction. From the creation of works that unequivocally pointed out the disasters caused by man, to the use of organic waste material, the step was short, that is to say, to ennoble with its waste one of the primary foods that has always nourished the World: fish.

Your atelier is very different from a painter’s atelier and is almost on a par with an alchemist’s laboratory or an operating theatre: would you like to discover the veil of mystery and describe it to our audience? What tools and materials do you use, what techniques…?
My studio is the warehouse that was used for importing, processing and distributing fish, i.e. a former refrigerated warehouse now renamed Menotrenta Museum, the exhibition rooms are the former cold storage rooms, the former laboratories are my studio, the offices are partly a reception area but above all a condensation of past, future or never completed projects. The new research developed around 2014 using inks and cephalopod skins treated to preserve and maintain the natural colour of the livery, thanks to a method patented by me, and manipulated with steel needles and surgical scalpels, leads to transforming the material to discover its beauty and transparency. This new study gives new life to organic waste, which I consider the link and indelible memory of the product that nourished the Human Being. “From the edible that nourishes the body, to the art that nourishes the spirit”. Material painting becomes the strongest impulse for the search for natural colour, which will become the only colour used, regulated by the manipulation of the chromatophores existing in the product, without adding artificial colours. With the Abissi project, he investigates the known and the unknown and the tortuous paths of human thought. He discovers and highlights the wounds and excrescences of lacerated skin that become abysses and meanders where thought is lost and regenerated, revealing the suffering I have undergone during my life journey, which I define as my Via Crucis.

In 2010 you had the opportunity to attend the Affordable Art Fair in Amsterdam and the Open Art Fair in Utrecht: how did you find it at the time and how do you hope Holland will be in 2021?
It was a unique experience for me, also due to the fact that I had worked with Holland for more than 40 years: from the ports of Urk, Volendam, Harlinger, Jimuiden, I imported Dutch fish for schools, plaice. When I came, I brought a project representing Holland’s fishing history, told to me by local fishermen and producers, and the incredible and extraordinary combination. A small country like our region has a product, the plaice, that is known and appreciated all over the world, and another combination that links the morphology of that fish to Holland (but I will only reveal this when a Dutch public institution invites me to do an exhibition in Holland). From there my research started and the first exhibition with these materials was held in Holland, all the works were made with plaice skin, historical fishing nets, wooden crates from the 1960s which are now obsolete. It was a great success and I even got an article in a local newspaper with a photo of one of the works (Het Urkerland).

What are your future projects for the coming months? What are you working on?
I have many future projects, both in terms of new research that I am conducting and exhibitions that we are preparing. There are many events already planned that have been postponed due to Covid 19, I am a finalist in two important competitions, I am preparing a personal exhibition that will have an important institutional venue and that will be supported by a museum where I will donate works that will be sold to an association that deals with the fight against cancer, as I have done in the past, and that will be my main prerogative for the future (a promise I made to my wife before she flew away). I will also be present at some important events in Italy and abroad that have already been scheduled.

What is the ultimate goal of Gianni Depaoli’s highly personal and innovative Conceptual Art? Aren’t you afraid that only a narrow niche of art lovers can understand the profound message that your works convey?
Observing reality and shaping it so that people can enjoy it and become aware of it, by extrapolating my inner self, my sufferings but also the daily enjoyment of the beauty that nature gives us. My works feature faces and silhouettes, sometimes clearly revealed, sometimes hidden, which underline my relationship with the unknown and my search for the lightness of being. Restlessness, anguish and fear are represented by lacerations, abysses and meanders that wound the skin, but are exorcised by the transparent beauty of natural shapes and colours.
I have always been interested in bringing out the “detail”, imagining the backstage of life, discovering the hidden construction rather than enjoying the final result. It is the detail that differentiates us and makes us unique, our indelible and recognisable signature. No, it doesn’t worry me; on the contrary, it fascinates me. When you cross the border for an experimental process you already know that you will encounter difficulties, difficulties that the great masters have also encountered, Burri, Arman, Penone, Pistoletto to name but a few, and now let’s see where they have arrived. Now the people of art are prepared for these new processes, they themselves are looking for new productions that can amaze them. Fortunately, I have always met collectors who wanted to invest in something innovative and unusual and museums that wanted to present something particular, in terms of the material, its handling, but at the same time expressing very strong concepts.

Gianni Depaoli, From Emotion to Reason, mixed media on fibre, leather and squid ink, methacrylate, 2020, 154x40x3 cm. “…giacché, quando s’è per la strada della passione, è naturale che i più ciechi guidino”(“…for when one is on the road of passion, it is natural that the most blind should lead”): citation taken from the historical essay Storia della Colonna Infame by Alessandro Manzoni, included as an Appendix in the tenth edition of the historical novel I Promessi Sposi of 1840. This quote is emblematic of the historical period we are living in and highlights decisions made irrationally under the emotional pull of the moment.
Detail
Detail
Detail
Detail

Gianni Depaoli, VentiVenti (2020), mixed media on fibre, leather and squid ink, methacrylate, 2020, 154x40x3 cm. At the top, the inscription “Duemilaventi” (two thousand and twenty) is continuously repeated along the entire length of the work to remind us who escaped from Covid-19 and who did not.
Detail

Gianni Depaoli, Everybody against everybody, mixed media on fibre, leather and squid ink, methacrylate, 2021, 154x40x3 cm. From the 2016 song ‘Tutti contro tutti’ by the musical group Stadio to highlight the confusion of the people stirred by the words.
Detail with italian song: “Non mi fido di te-che così bene chiacchieri-perché hai già dimostrato-che non ti fai scrupoli.-E non mi fido di me,-perché per difendermi-ho dovuto imparare-anche ad assomigliarti.-È una guerra ogni giorno,-ogni istante che ti volti,-qualcuno cerca di fotterti,-non ci sono più regole-la parola d’ordine è-tutti contro tutti.-Non c’è più vergogna,-hai le spalle al muro,-non vince il più bravo,-ma il più furbo di sicuro.-Non fidarti di me-non sono quello che credi;-io parlo male di te-quando tu non mi vedi;-Con le tue strategie-ottieni quello che vuoi-ma con me non funziona,-lo so che gioco fai-È una guerra ogni giorno,-ogni istante che ti volti,-qualcuno cerca di fotterti,-non ci sono più regole-la parola d’ordine è-tutti contro tutti,-Bisognerebbe scoppiasse-una rivoluzione,-o che almeno tornasse-la buona educazione”.
Detail. English translation of the song: “I don’t trust you-who talks so well-because you have already proved-That you have no scruples-And I don’t trust me,-because to defend myself-I had to learn-even to look like you.-It’s a war every day,-every moment you turn around,-someone is trying to fuck you up,-There are no rules anymore-The password is-Everyone against everyone.-There’s no more shame-Your back’s against the wall-It’s not the best who wins,-The smartest guy wins.-Don’t trust me-I’m not what you think I am-I speak ill of you-when you don’t see me; With your strategies-You get what you want-But it doesn’t work with me,-I know what your game is-It’s a war every day-Every moment that you turn around-Someone’s trying to fuck you up-There are no rules anymore-The password is-Everyone against everyone,-There should be-A revolution-or at least a return-good manners”.
Detail

Gianni Depaoli, Solo, Mixed media on fibre, leather and squid ink, methacrylate, 2020, 154x40x3 cm. From Pope Francis’ invocation against the pandemic (27 March 2020) in a deserted St Peter’s Square: “…in silenzio assordante e di vuoto desolante. Ci siamo trovati soli e impauriti. Ci siamo resi conto di trovarci sulla stessa barca fragili e disorientati allo stesso tempo…”(“…in deafening silence and desolating emptiness. We found ourselves alone and afraid. We realised that we were in the same boat, fragile and disoriented at the same time…”).
Detail.

Gianni Depaoli, Expelled, mixed media on leather fibre and methacrylate squid ink, 2021, 154x40x3 cm. Bible, from the Book of Genesis III, 1-24: the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.
Detail. Gianni Depaoli, Expelled, mixed media on leather fibre and methacrylate squid ink, 2021, 154x40x3 cm.

With immense gratitude, I thank Gianni Depaoli for his availability. I would like to remind readers that they can read and see other videos on the page dedicated to the artist on criticoarte.org: Gianni Depaoli – Italian art by ELisa Manzoni (criticoarte.org)

Domanda all’artista: Gianni Depaoli

Posted on May 17, 2021April 26, 2021 by criticoarte in Blog, Blog ita

Anche se sono passati pochi mesi da quando ho conosciuto via web l’artista piemontese Gianni Depaoli, si è instaurata una profonda e reciproca fiducia e stima, nonché una grande ammirazione per le opere concettuali di grande eleganza che realizza. Gianni Depaoli è l’unico artista concettuale presente nel progetto Arte Italiana contemporanea in Olanda proprio perché, grazie alla sua intensa poetica artistica, ha scalfito la mia innata diffidenza verso questa forma d’arte contemporanea. L’arte di Gianni Depaoli si basa sui principi di eco-sostenibilità e di bio-diversità che vengono trasmessi all’osservatore tramite la creazione di installazioni e di opere (pittoriche e scultoree, figurative e astratte), che raccolgono significati diversi ed assumono identità riconducibili a contesti storici e culturali sempre strettamente connessi al rispetto del mare e dello scarto organico che si carica di valore artistico, lirico e poetico e può essere denominato come “nuova icona” e “fossile contemporaneo”. L’artista piemontese è già conosciuto a livello internazionale ed è stato presente sul territorio olandese per diversi anni; dopo l’assenza di quest’ultimo decennio, ha deciso di riproporsi con le nuove opere concettuali alla Manzoni Kunst Galerie di Oosterwolde.

Ma passiamo finalmente la parola a Gianni Depaoli:

Sei un artista concettuale e creatore di nuove icone contemporanee cristallizzate e liriche: come hai intrapreso questa strada? Raccontaci il tuo percorso artistico.

Tutto è iniziato nel settembre del 2007 quando, un direttore coraggioso come Marco Valle del Museo E. Caffi di Bergamo, dopo aver visto un mio progetto ancora allo stato embrionale, decise di dedicarmi un’intera mostra: “Mare Nero”. Quel numero esiguo di opere – appena sette – ha rappresentato la mia prima uscita pubblica. Da quell’esordio piuttosto fortunato, partì un tam-tam che coinvolse molti altri musei. In questi giorni le mie “Constatazioni”, così le chiamo e non denunce in quanto situazioni da sempre sotto gli occhi di tutti, sono esposte in molti musei e sedi Istituzionali. Sono riuscite ad incuriosire ed infine ad approdare al primo museo d’Arte che mi ha accolto nella Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Genova, diretta da Maria Flora Giubilei con la quale è nata un’idea sicuramente bizzarra: quella di “inquinare” il museo abbinando opere dissacranti, quali le mie, ai capolavori dell’esposizione. Un azzardo che porterà alla realizzazione di un intero catalogo sommato ad una proroga di altri tre mesi e a una pagina su “Da Genova per Genova”, un libro di Andrea Ranieri, assessore alla cultura del capoluogo ligure. Una grande soddisfazione. Dalla creazione di opere che additavano in modo inequivocabile i disastri provocati dall’ uomo, all’utilizzo di materiale organico di scarto dell’edibile il passo è stato breve, quello cioè di Nobilitare con il suo scarto uno degli alimenti primari che nutre da sempre il Mondo: il pesce.

Il tuo atelier è molto diverso da un atelier di un pittore ed è quasi alla pari di un laboratorio alchemico o una sala operatoria: hai voglia di scoprire il velo di mistero e descriverlo al nostro pubblico? Che strumenti e materiali utilizzi, quali tecniche…

Il mio studio è il magazzino che serviva per l’importazione, la lavorazione e la distribuzione del pesce, è cioè un ex magazzino frigorifero ora ribattezzato Museo Menotrenta, le sale espositive sono le ex celle frigorifere, gli ex laboratori sono il mio studio, gli uffici sono in parte accoglienza ma soprattutto un condensato di progetti passati, futuri o mai conclusi. La nuova ricerca sviluppata verso il 2014 con l’utilizzo di inchiostri e pelli di cefalopodi trattati per la conservazione e mantenimento del colore naturale della livrea, grazie ad un metodo da me brevettato, e manipolati con aghi d’ acciaio e bisturi chirurgici, porta a trasformare la materia per scoprirne bellezza e trasparenza. Questo nuovo studio dona nuova vita allo scarto organico che considera l’anello di congiunzione e ricordo indelebile del prodotto che ha nutrito l’Essere Umano. “Dall’edibile che nutre il corpo, all’arte che nutre lo spirito”. La pittura materica diventa il più forte impulso per la ricerca del colore naturale, che diventerà l’unico colore utilizzato, regolato dalla manipolazione dei cromatofori esistenti nel prodotto, senza aggiunte di colori artificiali. Con il progetto Abissi, indaga il noto e l’ignoto e i percorsi tortuosi del pensiero umano. Scopre ed evidenzia le ferite e le escrescenze della pelle lacerata che diventano abissi e meandri dove il pensiero si perde e si rigenera, svelando i patimenti che ho subito durante il mio percorso di vita, che definisco la mia Via Crucis.

Nel 2010 hai avuto l’occasione di presenziare all’Affordable Art Fair di Amsterdam e all’Open Art Fair di Utrecht: come ti sei trovato all’epoca e come speri sia l’Olanda nel 2021?

È stata per me un’esperienza unica, dovuta anche al fatto che ho lavorato per più di 40 anni con l’Olanda: dai porti di Urk, Volendam, Harlinger, Jimuiden, importavo il pesce olandese per le scuole, la platessa. Quando venni, portai un progetto che rappresentava la storia dell’Olanda legata alla pesca, raccontatami dai pescatori e produttori locali, e della incredibile e straordinaria combinazione. Uno Stato piccolo come una nostra Regione possiede un prodotto, la platessa, che è conosciuto e apprezzato in tutto il Mondo, ed un’altra combinazione che lega la morfologia di quel pesce all’Olanda, (ma questa la svelerò soltanto nel momento in cui una Istituzione Pubblica Olandese mi inviterà a fare una mostra in Olanda). Da lì la mia ricerca è partita e la prima mostra con questi materiali è stata fatta proprio in Olanda, tutte le opere erano fatte con pelle di platessa, reti da pesca storiche, casse di legno anni 60 ormai desuete. Fu un gran successo e mi venne dedicato anche un articolo su un giornale locale con la foto di un’opera (Het Urkerland).

Quali sono i tuoi progetti futuri per i prossimi mesi? Su cosa stai lavorando?

Progetti futuri ne ho molti, sia a livello di nuove ricerche che sto conducendo sia per mostre che stiamo preparando. Ci sono molti eventi già programmati che sono slittati causa Covid 19, sono finalista in due concorsi importanti, sto preparando una mostra personale che avrà un importante luogo Istituzionale e che sarà sostenuta da un Museo dove donerò delle opere che saranno vendute a favore di una associazione che si occupa di lotta contro i tumori, come già fatto in passato, e che saranno la mia principale prerogativa per il futuro (una promessa che ho fatto a mia moglie prima che volasse via). Sarò poi presente ad alcuni appuntamenti importanti sia in Italia che all’ Estero già programmati.

Qual è il fine ultimo della personalissima ed innovativa Arte Concettuale di Gianni Depaoli? Non hai paura che solo una stretta nicchia di amanti dell’Arte possa comprendere il messaggio profondo che le tue opere trasmettono?

Osservare la realtà e plasmarla affinché le persone ne fruiscano e ne prendano consapevolezza, estrapolando il mio intimo, i miei patimenti ma anche le fruizioni giornaliere della bellezza che ci dona la natura. Nei miei lavori compaiono visi, silhouette a volte palesemente svelati a volte velatamente nascosti che sanciscono il mio rapporto con l’ignoto e la ricerca della leggerezza dell’essere. Inquietudine, angoscia, timore, sono rappresentate da lacerazioni, abissi e meandri che feriscono la pelle, esorcizzate però dalla trasparente bellezza delle forme e dei colori naturali. Mi ha sempre interessato il far affiorare il “particolare”, immaginare il backstage della vita, scoprire la costruzione celata più che godere del risultato finale. È il particolare che differenzia e ci rende unici, la nostra firma indelebile e riconoscibile. No, non mi preoccupa anzi mi affascina, quando si supera il confine per un processo sperimentale si sa già che si incontreranno delle difficoltà, difficoltà che hanno incontrato anche i grandi maestri, Burri, Arman, Penone, Pistoletto per citarne alcuni e ora vediamo dove sono arrivati. Ora il popolo dell’arte è preparato a questi nuovi processi, cercano loro stessi nuove produzioni che possano stupirli. Fortunatamente ho sempre incontrato collezionisti che volevano investire su qualcosa di innovativo ed inusuale e Musei che intendevano presentare qualcosa di particolare, per ciò che riguarda il materiale, la sua manipolazione, ma che allo stesso tempo esprimesse dei concetti molto forti.

Gianni Depaoli, From Emotion to Reason, mixed media on fibre, leather and squid ink, methacrylate, 2020, 154x40x3 cm. “…giacché, quando s’è per la strada della passione, è naturale che i più ciechi guidino”(“…for when one is on the road of passion, it is natural that the most blind should lead”): citation taken from the historical essay Storia della Colonna Infame by Alessandro Manzoni, included as an Appendix in the tenth edition of the historical novel I Promessi Sposi of 1840. This quote is emblematic of the historical period we are living in and highlights decisions made irrationally under the emotional pull of the moment.
Detail
Detail
Detail
Detail

Gianni Depaoli, VentiVenti (2020), mixed media on fibre, leather and squid ink, methacrylate, 2020, 154x40x3 cm. At the top, the inscription “Duemilaventi” (two thousand and twenty) is continuously repeated along the entire length of the work to remind us who escaped from Covid-19 and who did not.
Detail

Gianni Depaoli, Everybody against everybody, mixed media on fibre, leather and squid ink, methacrylate, 2021, 154x40x3 cm. From the 2016 song ‘Tutti contro tutti’ by the musical group Stadio to highlight the confusion of the people stirred by the words.
Detail with italian song: “Non mi fido di te-che così bene chiacchieri-perché hai già dimostrato-che non ti fai scrupoli.-E non mi fido di me,-perché per difendermi-ho dovuto imparare-anche ad assomigliarti.-È una guerra ogni giorno,-ogni istante che ti volti,-qualcuno cerca di fotterti,-non ci sono più regole-la parola d’ordine è-tutti contro tutti.-Non c’è più vergogna,-hai le spalle al muro,-non vince il più bravo,-ma il più furbo di sicuro.-Non fidarti di me-non sono quello che credi;-io parlo male di te-quando tu non mi vedi;-Con le tue strategie-ottieni quello che vuoi-ma con me non funziona,-lo so che gioco fai-È una guerra ogni giorno,-ogni istante che ti volti,-qualcuno cerca di fotterti,-non ci sono più regole-la parola d’ordine è-tutti contro tutti,-Bisognerebbe scoppiasse-una rivoluzione,-o che almeno tornasse-la buona educazione”.
Detail. English translation of the song: “I don’t trust you-who talks so well-because you have already proved-That you have no scruples-And I don’t trust me,-because to defend myself-I had to learn-even to look like you.-It’s a war every day,-every moment you turn around,-someone is trying to fuck you up,-There are no rules anymore-The password is-Everyone against everyone.-There’s no more shame-Your back’s against the wall-It’s not the best who wins,-The smartest guy wins.-Don’t trust me-I’m not what you think I am-I speak ill of you-when you don’t see me; With your strategies-You get what you want-But it doesn’t work with me,-I know what your game is-It’s a war every day-Every moment that you turn around-Someone’s trying to fuck you up-There are no rules anymore-The password is-Everyone against everyone,-There should be-A revolution-or at least a return-good manners”.
Detail

Gianni Depaoli, Solo, Mixed media on fibre, leather and squid ink, methacrylate, 2020, 154x40x3 cm. From Pope Francis’ invocation against the pandemic (27 March 2020) in a deserted St Peter’s Square: “…in silenzio assordante e di vuoto desolante. Ci siamo trovati soli e impauriti. Ci siamo resi conto di trovarci sulla stessa barca fragili e disorientati allo stesso tempo…”(“…in deafening silence and desolating emptiness. We found ourselves alone and afraid. We realised that we were in the same boat, fragile and disoriented at the same time…”).
Detail.

Gianni Depaoli, Expelled, mixed media on leather fibre and methacrylate squid ink, 2021, 154x40x3 cm. Bible, from the Book of Genesis III, 1-24: the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.
Detail. Gianni Depaoli, Expelled, mixed media on leather fibre and methacrylate squid ink, 2021, 154x40x3 cm.

Con immensa gratitudine, ringrazio Gianni Depaoli per la sua disponibilità. Ricordo ai lettori che potranno leggere e vedere altri video sulla pagina dedicata all’artista su criticoarte.org: Gianni Depaoli – Italian art by ELisa Manzoni (criticoarte.org)

Gianni Depaoli en gekristalliseerd leven

Posted on November 2, 2020 by criticoarte in Blog, Blog ing, Blog ita, blog-nl

Gianni Depaoli, *The death of Cecilia*, mixed technique on fiber, skin and squid ink, 2019, 120×75 cm. Like a triptych of sacred art.

De kunstenaar Gianni Depaoli kristalliseert en maakt eeuwig wat van nature bestemd zou zijn om te vergaan: met extreme elegantie geeft hij leven aan nieuwe iconen en echte hedendaagse fossielen, veredeld dankzij de nauwkeurigheid van de uitvoering, die kan worden gedefinieerd als “symbolische boodschappers” voor deze mensheid die nu op drift is.

Een ethische, filosofische, allegorische en conceptuele geest doordringt de hele artistieke productie van Gianni Depaoli, maar in zijn werk La morte di Cecilia (De dood van Cecilia) van 2019 wordt de waarschuwing zo duidelijk behandeld dat zelfs de meest leerrijke zielen worden wakker geschud. Vastgezet in drie vezelpanelen, zoals in een veertiende-eeuws drieluik van heilige kunst, worden de huid en de inkt van de inktvis gevormd als waren het wilde bloemen in een weiland, bevroren in het moment dat de zeis de messoria onverbiddelijk zonder genade passeert; daaronder herinnert de kunstenaar aan de beroemde passage van de dood van de kleine Cecilia, veroorzaakt door de pest in Milaan in 1629, beschreven met pathos in hoofdstuk XXXIV van Alessandro Manzoni’s Promessi Sposi (1827): “…Als de bloem al weelderig op de stengel valt samen met de kleine bloem die nog in de knop zit, als de zeis voorbij komt, die al het gras van de weide egaliseert”. De boodschap is expliciet en universeel. Het aardse leven is helaas nog steeds bijzonder kwetsbaar, het is niet eeuwig en wordt voortdurend bedreigd door de dood, de enige democratische zekerheid die nodig is voor de vervulling van de cycliciteit van het leven zelf: zonder het drama van de verdwijning, zonder de snee die de stroom van het leven afknijpt, zou er geen wedergeboorte, geen zuivering en geen emotionele en rationele catharsis kunnen zijn. Aangezien de formule om het behoud en de duur van het bestaan ervan te garanderen nog niet is ontdekt, is het ook van fundamenteel belang om de waardigheid, de nederigheid en het respect voor elke vorm van leven te herwinnen, omdat elke handeling zijn eigen waarde heeft en een reeks gevolgen heeft voor het delicate vitale evenwicht.

Gianni Depaoli, *The death of Cecilia*, mixed technique on fiber, skin and squid ink, 2019, 120×75 cm. Detail with the passage taken from I Promessi Sposi by Alessandro Manzoni (1827). In the work, the same passage is also translated into Italian and French.

Detail of the panel with the citation in French.
Detail of the panel with the citation in Italian.
Detail of the panel with the citation in English.

Gianni Depaoli and crystallized life

The artist Gianni Depaoli crystallizes and makes eternal what by nature would be destined to decay: with extreme elegance he gives life to new icons and true contemporary fossils, ennobled thanks to the accuracy of execution, which can be defined “symbolic messengers” for this humanity now adrift.

An ethical, philosophical, allegorical and conceptual spirit permeates the entire artistic production of Gianni Depaoli but, in his work The Death of Cecilia in 2019, the warning is treated so clearly as to awaken even the most leathery souls. Fixed in three fibre panels, as in a fourteenth-century triptych of sacred art, the skin and ink of squid are moulded as if they were wild flowers in a meadow, frozen in the instant before the scythe messoria passes inexorably without mercy; beneath them the artist brings to mind the famous passage of the death of little Cecilia, caused by the plague in Milan in 1629, described with pathos in chapter XXXIV of Alessandro Manzoni’s Promessi Sposi (1827): “…As the already luxuriant flower on the stem falls together with the small flower still in bud, as the scythe passes by, which evens out all the grasses of the meadow”. The message is explicit and universal. Unfortunately, earthly life is still particularly fragile today, it is not eternal, and is perpetually threatened by death, the only democratic certainty necessary for the fulfilment of the cyclicality of life itself: without the drama of disappearance, without the cut that truncates the flow of life, there could not be a rebirth, a purification and an emotional and rational catharsis. Since the formula to guarantee its preservation and the duration of existence has not yet been discovered, it is also fundamental to regain dignity, humility and respect in front of any form of life because every action has its own value and involves a series of consequences on the delicate vital balance.

Gianni Depaoli e la vita cristallizzata

L’artista Gianni Depaoli cristallizza e rende eterno ciò che per natura sarebbe destinato al disfacimento: con estrema eleganza dà vita a nuove icone e a dei veri e propri fossili contemporanei, nobilitati grazie all’accuratezza esecutiva, che possono essere definiti “messaggeri simbolici” per questa umanità ormai alla deriva.

Uno spirito etico, filosofico, allegorico e concettuale permea l’intera produzione artistica di Gianni Depaoli ma, nell’opera La morte di Cecilia del 2019,il monito è trattato così chiaramente da risvegliare anche gli animi più coriacei. Fissati in tre pannelli di fibra, come in un trittico trecentesco di arte sacra, la pelle e l’inchiostro di calamaro vengono plasmati come se fossero dei fiori spontanei in un prato, congelati nell’attimo prima che la falce messoria passi inesorabilmente senza pietà; sotto di essi l’artista riporta alla memoria il celebre passo della morte della piccola Cecilia, causata dalla peste milanese del 1629, descritta con pathos nel capitolo XXXIV dei Promessi Sposi di Alessandro Manzoni (1827): “…Come il fiore già rigoglioso sullo stelo cade insieme col fiorellino ancora in boccio, al passare della falce che pareggia tutte le erbe del prato”. Il messaggio è esplicito ed universale. La vita terrena purtroppo è ancora oggi particolarmente fragile, non è eterna, ed è perennemente minacciata dalla morte, unica certezza democratica necessaria al compimento della ciclicità della vita stessa: senza il dramma della scomparsa, senza il taglio che tronca il flusso vitale, non ci potrebbe essere una rinascita, una purificazione ed una catarsi emotiva e razionale. Dato che non si è ancora scoperta la formula per garantirne la salvaguardia e la durata dell’esistenza, è altresì fondamentale ritrovare la dignità, l’umiltà, il rispetto davanti a qualsiasi forma di vita in quanto ogni azione ha il proprio valore e comporta una serie di conseguenze sul delicato equilibrio vitale.