 |
| books cascading down the museum's entrance by Alicia Martín from the series 'Biografias', 2012 |
An truly impressive literature cascade by Spanish artist
Alicia Martín hangs down from the window of the MARCA
Museum in Catanzaro, the chief town of the Calabria region
in southern Italy, greeting visitors of the ”Bookhouse.
The Book Shape” exhibition in which various forms of art
develop around one single element, the book.
 |
| 'Singularidad', installation by Alicia Martín, 2011-2012 |
 |
| 'Idiom', installation by Matej Krén, 1998 |
 |
| above: 'Omphalos' by Matej Krén, 2005 below: from the 'Still Lives 3' series by Maria Friberg, 2004 |
In the most critical phase of its existence, when technological
revolution presents us with the new Gutenberg era, book in
contemporary art has never been so modern and the display
at MARCA is probably the most comprehensive homage to
this magical mean which has been keeping its features
basically unaltered for more than 500 years.
revolution presents us with the new Gutenberg era, book in
contemporary art has never been so modern and the display
at MARCA is probably the most comprehensive homage to
this magical mean which has been keeping its features
basically unaltered for more than 500 years.
 |
| 'Upper Cut' by Dennis Oppenheim, 2000-2001 |
 |
| 'Sulpicia' by Anselm Kiefer, 1999 |
 |
| above: 'Entrapped Words' by Maria Lai, 1964 below: Michael Rakowitz 'What Dust Will Rise', 2012 |
Conceived and curated by the museum's art director Alberto
Fiz - who declared ”The meaning of the book lies in its thinking
shape. If it were simply a container of texts and images, it
would have already been swept away. On the contrary, it
still has a primary role as sensitive object that can create
a symbiotic relationship with the reader and, at the same
time, has the ability to organize the thinking...” - the
exhibition includes 50 of the most significant artists
questioning each other on the miraculous shape of the
book, such a perfect object that Italian semiotician,
essayist and novelist Umberto Eco
Fiz - who declared ”The meaning of the book lies in its thinking
shape. If it were simply a container of texts and images, it
would have already been swept away. On the contrary, it
still has a primary role as sensitive object that can create
a symbiotic relationship with the reader and, at the same
time, has the ability to organize the thinking...” - the
exhibition includes 50 of the most significant artists
questioning each other on the miraculous shape of the
book, such a perfect object that Italian semiotician,
essayist and novelist Umberto Eco
compared to the wheel.
 |
| above: horse-shaped library by Mimmo Paladino, 2001 below: from the 'Naples Library' series by Candida Höfer, 2009 |
 |
| artwork by Jannis Kounellis |
 |
| 'Library for the Birds' by Mark Dion, 2005 |
Furthermore, books as well as archives and libraries are the
focus of the contemporary artistic debate, from Kassel's
Documenta to the Venice Biennale yet the MARCA's varied
cross-exhibition deals with the regenerative power of books
involving different languages and techniques while getting
rid of the hypothesis of the artist's book, it rather focuses
on an extension of the work of art where the book itself
becomes sculpture, installation or environment in a
riveting journey through contemporary art in which
focus of the contemporary artistic debate, from Kassel's
Documenta to the Venice Biennale yet the MARCA's varied
cross-exhibition deals with the regenerative power of books
involving different languages and techniques while getting
rid of the hypothesis of the artist's book, it rather focuses
on an extension of the work of art where the book itself
becomes sculpture, installation or environment in a
riveting journey through contemporary art in which
the book is totally re-written.
 |
| the MARCA exhibition's poster |