January 19 2004, Monday, 10am-5pm (continues until February 9 2004, Monday, 10am-5pm)
GLORIA PASTORE, ARTIST FROM ITALY'S NAPLES, EXHIBITS - FOR FIRST TIME IN UK - HER MIXED-MEDIA, "MADE IN NAPLES" COLLECTION (FEATURING VOLCANIC ARTWORKS, FIGURATIVE SCULPTURES & HAND-PAINTED SHOES) AT ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE
Today is the first Monday of Neopolitan artist, Gloria Pastore's mixed-media art exhibition at the Italian Cultural Institute, in Belgrave Square. The exhibition is titled, "Made in Naples' and, as the press release states, Gloria chose this city - not only because she was born there - but because it is, .'.the symbol of a city of linguistic and cultural trespassing, a city of interacting and echoeing variety and diversity.' Some of you will be aware that the city and surrounding bay is home to Vesuvius, the volcano which last erupted in 1944 Some of the lavic and volcanic dust, most likely from that date sixty years ago, has been used on several of the works being exhibited. For example, the varied-sized series of "Rosa - Rosea" (from £1,400 to £2,800). These Roses are basically square pictures - all glittering black, each with their middles opening out like the opening petals of a rose or the turning pages of a book. We found each of them fascinating! We also found the tattooed sculptures interesting too: namely the pale-white, "Ermafrodito 'la natura delle cose'" and darkened, "Corpus-Mens tattoo" (£10,000 each). The latter is interesting because it is historical. Apparently when bodies were retrieved from Pompeii, some were found to have been tattooed. These tattooed images persist through a number of the artists other very creative and wonderfully varied works. Two large rooms in the Italian Cultural Centre have been given over for the presentation of all Gloria's works.
In the downstairs room, there are two
clear-plastic cases holding twelve pairs of colourful, hand-painted shoes (£2,100 per
pair). 'An Italian thing' the artist told us, when we met her last Thursday! On the same
level there are also ten hanging pieces, simply called, "Tattoo" (£1,800 each).
Our favourite of these was the one showing 11 birds and four figures. On the wall
opposite, is something for all geography fans: a large mixed-media cloth showing three,
apparently identical, landscape scenes of Naples (with volcano included). Another large
cloth piece is "Telo S. Leucio 'cio che resta'" (£3,500), produced using very
detailed handwritten script. And, on it, we read there are some Pompei fragments! In
addition to this topic that would interest any enthusiast of physical geography, there is
a lot of what the press release calls, 'ironic religious imagery.' The press release goes
on further, to give a statement from the artist. 'Made in Naples is a secret room offering
shelter to the stranger and the foreigner, to anyone who has come from far away, whatever
their language and whatever their future direction.' Sounds like, "clear seeing
direction" to me - an exhibition well worth visiting and well curated by the joint
curators: Incontri Internazionali d"Arte and Blu Bramante - so here are the contact
and address details to the exhibition, which is admission-free. E-mail... or telephone 020
7235 1461 for more information, if required. Location: Italian Cultural Institute, 39
Belgrave Square, London, SW1. Tube station: Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly line).
http://www.italcultur.org.uk
