Thursday, July 25, 2013

An interface between the everyday objects and art

‘A Very Light Art’, an unconventional group exhibition at Ca’ Rezzonico of 18th century Venice, soaks it in an intriguing albeit contemporary interface between the everyday object and art. The works presented are a reflection about deft design, plus a study of the artists’ historic role in relation to the built environment. Top artists across the world, who see space and material in close relation to context, feature in the project.

The unique element of their works – lighting structures and mobiles – is their emphasis on both craftsmanship and technical finesse. For instance, Cerith Wyn Evans has opted to rewire the much famed Ca’ Rezzonico chandelier fabricated in the XVIII century’s second half by Giuseppe Briati, structured in the form of a ‘pagoda’ in white glass with polychromy ornament. Evans’s chandelier is meant to flicker to the tune of the music - a subtle and poetic “détournement” of history that captures the melancholy unique to Venice.

Flavio Favelli, known for his magical transformations of common household objects, and their ravishing recomposition into superlative sculptures, exudes poetry. Gilded frames carrying velvet curtains, regal mirrors with surfaces washed away, or recomposed chandeliers turned from elements that are kitsch, into objects of grandeur and beauty. Each astounding object created by Mario Airò reveals its usefulness, yet can stand alone as a sculpture. Stefano Arienti has proposed a small forest of trees composed of branches, with votive candles hanging from them.

Luigi Ontani offers his signature inversion of names and myths, in a series of works that seem contrived specifically for the Ca’ Rezzonico, but in fact, predate the exhibition. Gabriel Orozco is featured in the selection of two marvelous mobiles, enormous and ultra-light contraptions fabricated from hundreds of feathers. His easy play stems from a deep knowledge of sculpture and materials, as well as predecessors from Calder to Mirò. Heimo Zobernig’s specially produced light object, a lamp that does not shed light so much as attract attention for its rare beauty, is actually the largest glass size that can be blown in Murano.

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