POSTMONUMENT THE MONUMENT CHANGES REGISTER
Thirty-three international artists, including stars and youthful promises, twenty-six new productions, ten exhibition venues with a section devoted to historical and contemporary architecture and a series of workshops and performances. This is “Postmonument,” the 14th International Biennale of Sculpture in Carrara, curated by Fabio Cavallucci, being held in the Tuscan city until October 31, 2010.
The 14th International Biennale of Sculpture in Carrara offers important food for thought. The city of marble, the raw material first favored for artworks by the great sculptors of the past, is the focus of a historical, sociological and political analysis. The underlying theme of the 14th International Sculpture Biennale is the monument, or rather the radical process of demonumentalizing sculpture that has liberated it from the commemorative functions of the past. Once a monument was a traditional symbol of power and a means for fostering consensus, as well as an irreplaceable contribution to the construction of the collective memory. Yet by the end of the last century the monument had become the main target of riots and revolutions. The downfall of undemocratic regimes, as in the Soviet Union or Iraq, was often symbolically celebrated by a veritable iconoclastic fury. However, perhaps the concept of monumentality was not completely exhausted, its register had simply changed.
The theme of the exhibition is introduced by a historical section of broad scope which presents examples of late nineteenth-century Symbolist sculpture, Fascist monuments and Socialist Realism. The central part of the exhibition consists of works by thirty-three contemporary artists from around the world: international stars such as Cai Guo-Qiang, Maurizio Cattelan, Paul McCarthy, Damián Ortega, Santiago Sierra, Gillian Wearing, as well as youthful talents. No fewer than twenty-six guest artists presented their new works, conceived after gaining a fuller knowledge of the Carrara region and in most cases produced in workshops in the city. A parallel development is also offered by the architecture section with new projects and maquettes by seven world-famous architects and firms (such as Norman Foster, Massimiliano Fuksas, Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid). This introduces a new key to the interpretation of the concept of monumentality, since it seems that architecture today embodies the desire for grandeur that was once delegated to sculpture. Finally, a series of workshops and performances reinterprets the theme of the exhibition from a new point of view, that of performance, a supremely anti-monumental language.
Also of outstanding interest is the choice of the exhibition venues.
They include quarries, museums and squares, as well as ancient and modern sculpture workshops and old stone sawmills, places that have made the artistic and economic history of the city, richly evocative metaphors of the crisis in marble and especially of its working. Revealing these places and making them better known is a way of recreating a dialogue with the past with an eye
to future goals.
INTERVIEW WITH FABIO CAVALLUCCI
Curator of the 2010 Carrara International Sculpture Biennale
Why did you choose the theme of death and a possible return to monumental sculpture?
Given that the Biennale is held in a provincial town, off the international tourist circuits, we needed
to find a theme that was closely related to the region yet global in interest.
The theme of the monument ties in well with Carrara marble, but it’s inseparable from the idea of history and the concept of memory, so it could well have a global relevance.
How do the different sections of the Biennale connect?
The historical part is not intended as a real section but only an evocation which introduces the most important part, dealing with contemporary artists engaged in creating new works. Given the theme we had to go and see what monumentality represented in the past not only in Italy and Europe but also in countries farther afield such as China.
The theme of architecture is present because the new monuments are not sculptures but buildings. Think of museums like the Guggenheim Bilbao by Frank Gehry or the Maxxi in Rome by Zaha Hadid. Or think of the highest skyscrapers built by the archistars. They’re works that represent our society, there’s public and political recognition of this fact.
How was the event received?
It was widely reported in the world press and enjoyed great critical success. Some people are already describing it as the contemporary art event of the year. Indeed, the simultaneous presence of artists such as Maurizio Cattelan, Santiago Sierra, Antony Gormley, Paul McCarthy, Yona Friedman and Rirkrit Tiravanija, who took part with new works, was a rare event. The public responded very positively, especially at certain times. Lots of people queued to watch Vanessa Beecroft’s performance.
Given the success, you must already be thinking about a theme for next year’s Biennale…
On the contrary, I think that when you’ve had a success it’s a good idea to turn your hand to something else. You risk getting stale and doing something weak.
I’ve had an offer to direct the Contemporary Art Center in Warsaw and I think I’ll accept. But I’d like to give continuity to the Biennale experience. So I told the management I would be my willing to oversee the foundation of a center for creation and creativity in Carrara, a new project to which the private sector, meaning the companies that quarry and work marble, could make an important contribution.
Francesca Zuddio
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