Voices Over
Associazione Arte Continua, San Gimignano, Siena
Through January 6
Cai Guo-Qiang founded an open-air museum, UMoCA (Under Museum of Contemporary Art), under the arches of a medieval bridge that supports one of the access roads into the town of Colle di Val d’Elsa. The Chinese artist is the director the museum which has a reception, bookshop and two exhibition spaces.
Nari Ward created a sort of sanctuary made of alabaster and various recyclable refuse, which was erected next to the incinerator at Poggibonsi. Within the sanctuary, which resembled a van, the combination of the precious alabaster and the a few votive candles, encouraged the viewer towards reflection, meditation, prayer.
Pascale Marthine Tayou interceded in a small soccer field at the center of San Gimignano, attaching a myriad of colored plastic bags to the surrounding chain-link fence: an ironic criticism of our consumer society, created out of the very things with which the refuse, produced from the same society¸ is collected daily.
Surasi Kusulwong has also played on the concept of mass consumption. Besides having bedecked part of the main road of Casole d’Elsa with brightly-colored plastic objects that mimic a line hung with washing, the artist cobbled together a real little bazaar where each item was on sale for the modest price of L. 1,000. Taking his cue from the Asian traditional “one dollar markets,” Kusulwong staged a funny performance in which the spectators, in this case the buyers, were an integral part of the work.
“Arte all’Arte” also nurtured some special projects. There was, for example, a competition between five pre-selected young artists (Loris Cecchini, Stefania Galegati, Marcello Maloberti, Sabrina Mezzaqui, and Sissi) to create a permanent installation in the Casa della Musica-Sonar in Colle Val d’Elsa, which was won by Loris Cecchini. Furthermore, Daniel Buren, Ottonella Mocellin, and José Antonio Hernŕndez-Diez were invited to create new works, which were situated in the evocative Castello of Linari.
Daniele Perra
