old songs new songs

The title of this exhibition is both a literal reference to different works, old and new, and to ‘past’ ones, which are revisited in a variety of ways: as is indeed the case of a song which may seem new to us, if it’s interpreted differently from its original version. Some of these pieces have already been exhibited in the space in via Parma 31 - this is the case for music for the clouds by Steve Roden (2002), on the occasion of his debut at e/static, as is the case for the video monochrome blue (projected, this time, on a wall, in 2002, on a screen) and for rain, again by the same author, but from his second exhibition, in 2004; the same goes for Rücken (1977/2007), by Rolf Julius, showcased in the section of his 2007 solo exhibition “Two spaces (walking)” which was mounted in via Parma; finally, Cone of Silence, a piece by Terry Fox, was exhibited for the first time in 2003, in the “Before and after sound” group exhibition. Other works had already been set up at blank, though not in the same areas of the space; this is the case for sons du haut, sons du bas by Patrice Carré, from his second solo exhibition at e/static in 2012, “Sons en formation”, and for Squares Squared by Michael Graeve, from his first solo show for e/static in 2010, “Spatial Choreography” (Graeve created this particular piece directly in the space where it was displayed for the first time). Dirt (1988/2015), a piece by Rolf Julius, is a different matter altogether and, at the same time, an emblematic case: it was presented as a part of the 2005 “Light Sculpture / Scultura leggera” group exhibition in Vicenza, and consists of three parts, two of which are permanent, while one constantly changes with every new arrangement. Two small speakers, with their own audio connector and sound reproduction device (a CD player) make up the ‘permanent’ and immutable components, along with the audio file, created by Julius in 1988; the changing material (i.e. the ‘dirt’, not as in ‘filth’ or ‘garbage’, but rather in the sense of a chaotic combination of miscellaneous items, discarded or scattered around, casually piling up) is a mixture of soil, plant residue, dust, micro-pebbles and other material, which is collected each time on the site of the arrangement or in the immediate vicinity, outside (on this occasion, on blank’s spacious terrace).   
It is always exciting to put a piece of art through the ‘relocation’ test, both in physical terms, when it’s mounted in a new space - or in another spot in the same place - and in ‘conceptual’ terms, when it’s no longer establishing a connection to works by the same author, but rather to pieces by other artists. It is a process that is strongly linked to the true act of interpretation, assuming that an art piece hardly ever remains in the same place where it was first mounted (with the exception of permanent, ‘site-specific’ installations, specifically made for a certain location, and inseparable from it). Each relocation entails a more or less exhaustive reinterpretation, because, each time, the artworks are immersed in a different topographic and conceptual context. Obviously, it’s essential for each art piece to have a certain connection, or ‘elective affinity’ with the other works mounted in the same space (especially with the ones by a different artist): this way, the new relationships that will arise won’t be going against the nature of each piece, but will respect their uniqueness.
However, this wasn’t an issue the curator of the project had to deal with, since all the works involved, as their authors, had already been presented together as a part of e/static’s previous exhibitions (such as in the aforementioned “Before and after sound”, then, in two instances of “découpage” and, finally, in “Things he would like”).
The project also features pieces which, for all intents and purposes, are basically new, or - at any rate - when previously showcased, have never appeared in an exhibition curated by e/static before. Among the artists who will be participating in this project, with regular contributions which will follow one another till the end of the exhibition, are Turin-based artists such as Manuele Cerutti (on Thursday May 28th), Alessandro Quaranta (on Thursday June 25th), Andrea Caretto and Raffaella Spagna (on Saturday July 4th), who have recently exhibited in our space. Each artist will contribute a piece for the “Old songs new songs” project (filling spots still empty, on the walls and on the floor), thus enriching the landscape of the exhibition each time without doing violence to it, but decidedly changing it.

for more informations on Manuele Cerutti's intervention click HERE
for more informations on Alessandro Quaranta's intervention click HERE
for more informations on Andrea Caretto and Raffaella Spagna's intervention click HERE