to attach to Wifredo Lam all those stereotypes that naturally accompany such an energetic
stentorian and epigraphic statement as the one rendered in Mosquera
his black pride imposes his art in white Europe redeeming his people from centuries of colonial abuse
to derive such an image from Lam’s art and words is a bestiality equal
thought him a sort of witch doctor and were surprised by the fact that he ordered an aperitif at the bar exactly as they did: it is Lam himself who recounted this anecdote in an interview with Oggi in the early 1970s
The situation is decidedly more complex: the son of an octogenarian Chinese immigrant and a local woman (father and mother were separated by an age difference of forty years)
given the widespread racism that raged in Cuba at the time and that he had to endure because of his mixed origins
with Lévy-Strauss and with Lévy-Bruhl
or in New York amidst abstract expressionists
And when it fell to him to return to Cuba in ’41 because the Nazis had invaded France
He did not like the fact that Western museums collected African art
but he in turn was a strong collector of the very works he would not have wanted to see in museums (although it should be emphasized that this form of collecting was for Lam a way of claiming his origins and thus the heritage of his ancestors)
His works are strongly inspired by santería and Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean cults
The urge to rediscover his origins had come to him not from an innate awareness
but by frequenting the cosmopolitan Paris of the early twentieth century: until he was thirty-six years old
“the magic of the forest and the directness of primitive men,” but in Albissola Marina he lived in a beautiful villa with a swimming pool
amidst the comforts: he may be accused of inconsistency (although consistency
was for Wifredo Lam a source of redemption
the humblest traditional element an artist could handle
Wifredo Lam got to feel “a real sense of belonging,” as Eskil testifies
Visitors to the exhibition are given the option to begin their journey indifferently from Savona or Albissola Marina
from the ceramics village that one can start with a good overview
because at the MuDA Exhibition Center in Albissola Marina the public is not only duly introduced
to the history of the relationship between Lam and ceramics
but also has the opportunity to get a concise idea of the Cuban artist’s entire ceramic production
to be then deepened in the thematic sections of the Museum of Ceramics in Savona
the curators have had the good sense not to create a simple summary in Albissola
because this chapter of the exhibition also includes works that are fundamental to understanding the way Lam’s language changed over the years
as well as a selection of works by other artists close to Lam
who worked during the same period in Albissola
One of the most dense moments of the exhibition is the comparison of a fragmentary terracotta by Lam from 1959
one of his very first experiments with terracotta
and instinctiveness with which the artist etches the clay
to trace the silhouettes of the figures typical of his repertoire (real or fantasy animals
primordial totems): the essentiality of Lam’s sign will have a certain fascination for Roberto Crippa
who had begun his own research on totemism before Lam arrived in Albissola
and still managed to catch the strali of Piero Manzoni
In an article published in Pensiero Nazionale just in 1959
praised his “characters that originate from the wild totems of his land and from the Cubist lesson” (the young colleague had thus grasped the two different souls of his art
adding that “it is only since a few years that here in Italy some mediocre artists have begun to imitate him; but the local copies make a very poor figure in front of the high level and true value of the originals.” In the article
Manzoni did not mention Crippa’s name
appear in a letter sent two years earlier to Enrico Baj (“I think that it is now time to make a clear attack on the posthumous totemisms of Crippa and Peverelli”)
as Luca Bochicchio explains well in the catalog
Lam’s totems and those of Crippa and the other Europeans who were providing their own interpretation of non-European arts (in a nearby showcase is exhibited
a totemic Flower by Mario Rossello) are incomparable because they are the result of independent research
whose work was hastily branded as a “banal romantic expressionist regurgitation.”
It seems superfluous to point out the excess of severity in Manzoni’s lapidary judgment
since much has been written about Jorn in these pages: however
it is interesting to observe his work side by side with Lam’s in order to understand how the two artists managed to converse in a fruitful way (in this case even on a formal level
with Jorn etching red earth and working with black engobe to achieve that bichromatic effect typical of many of Lam’s ceramics)
moreover forging a sincere and lasting friendship
traced in detail by Daniele Panucci in the catalog: the two artists
were “capable of activating themselves like ethnoanthropologists and setting out on the trail of their own origins and the popular and mythological artistic expressions of their respective home cultures”: the fact that Jorn was Danish did not make him any less attentive than Lam to his own roots
an entire wall offers an intense overview of Lam’s experimentalism in Albissola Marina: the artist
Giovanni Poggi and Mario Pastorino (specifically
it was Giovanni Poggi who was Lam’s tutelary deity
the “torniante,” as on this strip of the Ligurian coast the specialists of the potter’s wheel are called on this strip of the Ligurian coast
far from mastering the secrets of the trade
had occasion to reason at length about his modes of expression
his ceramics were nothing more than extensions of his painting activity: Lam did nothing more than paint on terracotta plates what he previously painted on canvas
his experiments began to acquire a continuous and steady autonomy from painting: these continuous changes of register can be appreciated in the plates that the curators have lined up in the exhibition
with the glazes often acquiring a relief and solidity that give an almost sculptural aspect to certain works
while in others the spreading of color follows a spontaneity reminiscent of that of his friend Jorn
until reaching the extreme peaks of the work De la terre in which Lam arrives at pure abstractionism
working even with fragments of various materials such as glass
It was as if in Albissola Marina the artist had rediscovered his origins
he had found there an environment entirely congenial to his research: a land of simple
And he happened there at a time when the city had become a kind of great international cenacle
capable of attracting the most up-to-date artists in Europe
are the Magiciens de la Mer that give the exhibition its title: not a vacuous reference to the more famous Magiciens de la Terre from the 1989 exhibition at the Centre Pompidou
between the curators who chose the title and the magiciens there is not that detachment from the Centre Pompidou exhibition that seemed problematic at the time and that had provided pretexts for even fierce criticism (curator Jean Hubert Martin was accused of having carved a furrow between Western art and that of the magiciens
seen somewhat as artist-shamans according to outdated clichés )
if only because the curators of the exhibition were born and raised in the world of the “magicians of the sea”: by this expression they mean to refer to all those who made that unrepeatable
magical moment possible: the master potters
formerly known as “arcanists,” Stella Cattaneo explains
since they were “holders of the mysterious recipes for the creation of clay mixtures
glazes and firings,” and the artists whom Lam had found upon his arrival and who would continue to frequent Albissola for at least a good two decades
they knew how to create an alchemy capable of giving rise to one of the most fertile and important seasons in the history of twentieth-century art
And among the goals of the exhibition is to provide the correct placement of Wifredo Lam within this context
“this curious convergence between research derived from different European avant-garde movements and currents was vneuta to be created
which found in the reactive and dynamic matter of clay the most suitable medium to give substance to irrational and primitive (in the sense of primordial) visions.” Savona’s figurative culture (in ancient times pottery was produced in Savona) was filled with hybrid
the researches of artists who worked in western Liguria abounded with “ambiguous and metamorphic
bifacial and hybrid beings,” “totemic
robotic and natural compositions.” Lam’s researches drew energy from this context
and in turn provided suggestions to the artists who worked here
are his totem poles (also in the Savona section one can admire some plates on which one can observe the extravagant idols that were seen in Albissola): for Lam they are a symbol of cultural reappropriation
much more elaborate than the totems of a Crippa or a Rossello
but by a methodical work on structural and social awareness
within which santería assumes the value of a cultural
system.” Lam’s totem poles mix human
animal and plant elements in accordance with the principles of santería whereby devotees seek to touch the soul of all things
believing that the universe is dominated by “aché,” the spiritual energy that can be seized by the faithful to be guided in the world
that the choice of the title “totem” for his works is culturally oriented
but not in the sense we would believe: using a term that was indeed derived from a Native American language
but which is nonetheless an Anglicization and especially is used in anthropology
Lam was revealing a considerable epistemological distance “from the very culture he was seemingly naturally trying to evoke with his art
revealing himself to be no different from his European and American colleagues,” the scholar wrote
that Lam may have reasoned about this choice
and especially that the hybrid and metamorphic forms of his works were in themselves sufficient to denote the origins of his culture without distorting their bearing
The varied and exuberant hybridity of Lam’s totems seems indeed unknown to his colleagues: this is the clearest indication of the naturalness with which the Cuban artist constructed his own totems
In a pair of plates exhibited in Albissola
one sees two women with two birds on their heads: in Afro-Cuban culture this is a symbol of knowledge
one admires a pair of depictions of the woman-horse
a symbol of the divinity that takes possession of a person’s body to infuse it with its aura of sanctity (it should be remembered that santería blends elements of Catholic belief with elements of the animist religions of the African slaves deported to the Americas): the horse
is an allegory of theorisha (the saint) who ’rides’
Among the animals Lam most often depicts in his works are birds
which play a prominent role in santería rituals
since they are commonly immolated as offerings to the deities (devotees believe that orisha drink the blood of sacrificed animals to strengthen their aché)
a section is devoted precisely to animals: Significant is the comparison with a 1963 plate by Roberto Crippa
which reveals clear points of contact with Lam’s works
although the artist displays a cleanliness and minimalism that are unknown to Lam
and with two other extraordinary mirrored ceramics also by Crippa
depicting his dog Fungo taking on the forms of a very elaborate tureen that seems almost to be made of copper
and the other translating instead into almost geometric forms the figure of a centipede
The works on display also capture and fascinate by their stylistic features and formal references: two sections are devoted to metamorphosis and sign
Metamorphosis is to be understood as much on the symbolic level (the hybrid forms mentioned above) as on the material level: thus
extremely experimental works are exhibited through which Lam and the artists who worked in Albissola transform matter by giving it a different appearance than one would expect (as in Eva Sørensen’s strongly textured plates
where multiple layers of earth and color thicken)
or again by combining clay and earth with different materials
or by achieving quite particular and unusual tactile or visual effects: see
or Rinaldo Rossello’s curious and little-known Spatial Little Men with their unusual reflections and with the texture of the material changing dramatically on the front and back
or Ansgar Elde’s panel that combines engobes and glazes to give a strong impression of movement to his colorful creatures that wiggle and transform on the surface of the clay
imprinted on a surface or left free in space
offered artists: the visitor will find a marvelous vase by Lam
in which figures typical of his imagination are etched on a vase in the colors of the sunset and with the surface giving the appearance of a sandy texture
Then there is a plate by Giuseppe Capogrossi where the typical trident signs on which the Roman artist used to base his figuration are combined
until we come to two Spatial Concepts by Lucio Fontana (the holes
in particular) that dialogue with a plate by Maria Papa Rostkowska whose surface is engraved with vertical signs reminiscent of Fontana’s cuts
and with the aforementioned plate by Eva Sørensen that cannot fail to recall the Natures of Fontana himself
Lam et les Magiciens de la mer is the test of maturity
for the very young Museum of Ceramics in Savona
born only in 2014 and run by a team of enthusiastic 30-year-olds who were able to organize an excellent research exhibition (several
able to lend itself to multiple levels of reading
Arrangements that put the visitor in a position to walk through the exhibition freely but without ever losing the thread
Concise apparatuses but capable of offering a complete information framework (there are also in-depth insights made available through QR codes)
A rich calendar of collateral initiatives (a guided tour with the curators is highly recommended)
and able to offer many insights: from the personal history of Lam’s arrival in Albissola
retraced also with an accurate documentary section that the public will find on the second floor of the Museum of Ceramics
to the focus on the artists who frequented Lam’s own workshops at that time
from the insights on more purely formal issues to the delicate yet profound way in which the exhibition manages to talk about decolonization
it could be said that the Savona and Albissola Marina exhibition demonstrates that it is possible to address the issue in a natural
and Surisday Reyes Martínez: a good compendium of the exhibition and a complete and up-to-date publication on Lam’s ceramics
to be seen also as an excellent starting point to delve into the rest of the artist’s production as well
The public will find between Savona and Albissola Marina an exciting narrative and a new exhibition: it is the first retrospective dedicated to the relationship between Wifredo Lam and ceramics
a new topic of investigation for art research of the time
The exhibition therefore draws additional importance from the fact that it begins to fill a void
insiders will be able to measure themselves against a fresh
capable of demonstrating that it is possible to work on art history in new and transversal ways
and that research can be done without losing sight of the public
It could not have been otherwise for an exhibition set up according to those same criteria of openness and sharing that fostered the birth of that legendary community of artists and ceramic masters that even today many
That same community that welcomed Lam as if it had always known him
The 2023 national beach volleyball tours got underway over the weekend in Hungary and Italy with men’s and women’s events in Tata and Albissola Marina
National tour season continued in full swing with events also held in Czechia
Nymburk hosted a Czech national tour women’s tournament with 32 participating teams
Marketa Svozilova and Kylie Neuschaeferova claimed a 2-1 (23-21
15-9) victory over Miroslava Dunarova and Daniela Resova in Sunday’s final
Valerie Dvornikova and Michaela Brinkova took the bronze after a 2-0 (21-12
21-17) shutout of Ivana Cebakova and Anna Siruckova in the third place match
All results and standings
The second stop on the 2023 Estonian national tour was held in Tartu with 16-team main draws in each gender
Mihkel Nuut and Karl Maidle got back at Dimitriy Korotkov and Urmas Piik for the loss in the previous weekend’s final and took a hard-fought 2-1 (17-21
Latvia’s Arnis Relins and Rinalds Aispurs mastered a 2-0 (21-16
21-16) shutout of Kristo Kollo and Karl Jaani for the bronze
Men’s main draw results
There was an international final four in the women’s tournament (pictured in the main photo
Ieva Dumbauskaite and Skalve Krizanauskaite defeated Vlada Oganauskiene and Lilija Firinovic by 2-1 (21-19
while Estonia’s Liisa-Lotta Jurgenson and Eva Liisa Kuivonen handed Finland’s Ester Hirvonen and Peppiina Maenpaa a 2-0 (21-11
Women’s main draw results
Czechia and Morocco participated in the women’s main draw at the fourth stop on the 2023 French national tour in Saint-Germain-en-Laye
A mixed French-Czech pairing of Laura Longuet and Vendula Haragova topped the podium after a 2-0 (21-15
21-16) shutout of Agathe Rolland and Florine Gosselin in the final
Naty Molinos and Lucile Colin took the bronze upon a 2-0 (21-13
21-19) sweep of the third-place match with Victoria Beguelin and Celia Molinos
Women’s main draw results
A team from Monaco was among the 12 that competed in the men’s main draw
Julien Legrand and Maxime Capet took a 2-0 (21-18
21-13) victory over Simon Lebecq and Paul Nicole
Jeremy Ullmann and Vianney Pollet managed a 2-1 (16-21
15-11) comeback against Hugo Alimi and Noubet Ngatoum
Men’s main draw results
Thessaloniki welcomed a top-category event of the Greek national tour
Antiol Kola and Stylianos Tzioumakas won the 12-team men’s main draw
21-19) victory over Iason Kanellos and Georgios Terzoglou
Dimitrios Chatzinikolaou and Stavros Ntallas
and Panagiotis Ioannidis and Thodoris Papadimitriou
shared the third place in the final standings
The 12-team women’s main draw action finished with Dionysia Matiou and Liza Triantafillidi’s 2-0 (21-12
21-19) sweep of the final against Dimitra Karagkouni and Christodoulou Chrysanthi
The third place was shared by Mirto Kalamaridou and Dimitra Manavi
and Ioanna Perdikaki and Georgia Maria Antonakaki
All results and standings
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The 2023 Hungarian national tour got underway with an event in Tata
A mixed Romanian-Hungarian pair became the first winners of the season
Beata Vaida and Lilla Villam lived up to their status of tournament favourites and won the 16-team women’s main draw
21-16) shutout of the duo of Villam’s younger sister
A straight-set win was recorded in the third place match as well
Stefania Kun and Kinga Windisch claimed the bronze by hammering out a 2-0 (21-17
21-13) victory over 15-year-old Mirtill Breuer and her 17-year-old partner Dora Kristof
Artur Hajos and Bence Streli were the expected winners of the men’s 16-team main draw tournament
they managed to come back from a set down on the way to a 2-1 (18-21
15-11) win over Csanad Franyo and Matyas Papp
The third-place match also offered a three-set comeback battle
with Levente Polgar and Marton Udvarhelyi defeating Balazs Benko and Botond Olah by 2-1 (15-21
All results and standings
A total of four dual-gender stops on the Hungarian national tour have been scheduled
Csepel will welcome the second event from 14 to 16 July
Abadszalok will the host a tournament from 4 to 6 August
and the last event is set to take place on Lupa Beach in Budapest on 12 and 13 August
Albissola Marina played host to the opening event on the 2023 Italian national tour
34 duos per gender took part in the tournament
Manuel Alfieri and Davide Dal Molin surprised reigning Italian champions Andrea Abbiati and Tiziano Andreatta in the men’s final by producing a 2-1 (17-21
The bronze medal match was even more dramatic and the tie-breaker went deep into overtime before Mateo Martino and Marco Caminati could celebrate a 2-1 (19-21
26-24) comeback victory over Fabrizio Manni and Francesco Vanni
Men’s results and standings
Giada Benazzi and Michela Lantignotti also had to dig deep into the overtime of a third set to win the women’s final against Claudia Puccinelli and Aurora Mattavelli by a tight 2-1 (19-21
The third-place game was more straightforward
with Alice Gradini and Federica Frasca delivering a 2-0 (21-16
21-16) shutout of Italian national team members Sofia Arcaini and Chiara They
Women’s results and standings
After Albisola Marina, the 2023 Italian national tour will feature another eight stops: Palinuro (23 – 25 June), Montesilvano (7 – 9 July), Beinasco (14 – 16 July), Catania (21 – 23 July), Ciro Marina (28 – 30 July), Cordenons (11 – 13 August), Vasto (25 – 27 August) and Bellaria-Igea Marina (8 – 10 September).
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The third event on the 2023 Japanese national tour was held in Yokohama with the participation of 10 pairs per gender
Akiko Hasegawa and Yurika Sakaguchi mastered a 2-0 (21-15
21-18) shutout of Suzuka Hashimoto and Reika Murakami
Miyu Sakamoto and Mayu Sawame cruised to a 2-0 (21-12
21-16) sweep of Harumi Sakai and Miharu Kashihara
Straight-set medal matches were registered in the men’s tournament as well
Yusuke Ishijima (Gottsu) and Takumi Takahashi produced a 2-0 (21-17
21-15) sweep of the gold medal match against Kai Kurokawa and Kosuke Fukushima
Kensuke Shoji and Jumpei Ikeda took the bronze after a 2-0 (21-19
21-15) victory over Yoshiumi Hasegawa and Masato Kurasaka
All results and standings
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With 12 men’s teams participating in the main draw of last week’s Dutch national tour stop in Arnhem
Thijmen Heemskerk and Mick Toet won the gold medals after a 2-0 (21-12
21-16) sweep of Sunday’s final against Quinten Groenewold and Mees Sengers
A similar result was registered in the bronze medal game
with Lennaert Hogenhout and Kyran Versteegen celebrating a 2-0 (21-13
21-16) victory over Cain van Hal and Tom van Reeuwijk
Men’s main draw results
13 teams took part in the women’s main draw in Arnhem
Lisa Luini and Serena van der Made topped the podium after a hard-fought 2-0 (21-14
23-21) straight-setter against Lynn van Mill and Iris Reinders in the gold medal match
The bronze medal game was pushed to three sets
with Marly Bak and Bjorna Gras coming back from a set down to claim a 2-1 (20-22
15-6) victory over Sarah Knol and Loladina Zwaanswijk
Women’s main draw results
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Malgorzata Ciezkowska and Urszula Lunio topped the final standings in the 16-team women’s main draw at the Polish national tour stop in Stalowa Wola
21-18) victory over Aneta Kaczmarek and Julia Gierczynska
After a hard-fought tie-breaker in the bronze medal match
Justyna Tylutki and Martyna Kloda emerged with a 2-1 (21-12
19-17) win over Julia Kielak and Maja Kruczek
Two foreign duos met in the final of the 16-team men’s main draw
Lithuania’s Patrikas Stankevicius and Audrius Knasas took a 2-0 (21-15
21-16) shutout of Czech indoor volleyball stars Jan Hadrava and Donovan Dzavoronok to claim the trophy
The bronze went to Jaroslaw Lech and Tomasz Jaroszczak after a tight 2-0 (24-22
21-17) win over Jedrzej Brozyniak and Piotr Janiak in the third-place match
Lithuania v Czechia in the Polish national tour stop men’s final in Stalowa Wola (Photo credits: siatka.org)
With 16 pairs per gender competing in the main draws of the third stop on the 2023 Slovakian national tour in Bratislava
Lubos Nemec and Adrian Petruf claimed their second gold in a row after a 2-0 (21-13
21-13) blowout of Marek Ludha and Martin Pavelka in the men’s final
The Czech pairing of Robert Kufa and Martin Melmuka took the bronze
21-19) win over Marek Meciar and Martin Petro in the match for the third pace
Men’s main draw results and standings
Andrea Bundzelova and Lesia Slezakova improved on their Zwolen silver from the previous week and claimed gold in Bratislava after getting back at Zwolen gold medallists Lubica Siposova and Martina Terenova with a 2-1 (21-18
Ella Erteltova and Emma Erteltova registered a 2-0 (21-14
21-1) over Laura Kubištova and Mariana Tomasova for the bronze
Women’s main draw results and standings
Lithuania and Poland took part in the 12-team women’s main draw at the third stop on the Spanish national tour
but only Spanish pairs made it to the podium
Nazaret Florian and Carolina Fernandez Da Silva produced a 2-1 (19-21
15-11) comeback victory over Raquel Palma and Paula Santamaria
Semifinal losers Alejandra Salleras and Maria Gomez
and Luisa De Miranda and Ines Villa shared the third place
Spanish teams made it to the men’s podium as well
but the tournament also featured participation from Argentina
Antonio Saucedo and Alvaro Viera won the final against Daniel Ruiz Posadas and Felix Vasquez by 2-0 (21-19
while the third place was shared between Manuel de Amo and Ivan Corrales
All main draw results and standings
🏆 Nazaret Florián/Carolina Fdez da Silva y Antonio Saucedo/Álvaro Viera se llevan el título del #CNVP2023 de Fuenlabrada
🥈Palma/Santamaría y Ruiz/Vásquez cedieron en unas apasionantes finales que pusieron fin a 3 intensos días de competiciónhttps://t.co/680t6MBzcV
— Madrid Beach Volley (@MadridBVolley) June 18, 2023
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the suggestions that the artists of "Il Milione" drew from the French movements
in particular from the Abstraction-Création association
which Fontana moreover joined precisely in 1935
all contributed to create a particularly fertile and suggestive environment
which ended up being resonant on the manifesto that Fontana was to create for the competition
was looking for a new advertising poster that would advertise its passenger shipping services
at a time when ships were precisely the main means of transportation of choice for long voyages
The poster was appreciated because of its immediacy and communicative ability through which
Fontana succeeded in conveying the message that the group intended to get across to potential customers
The reasons with which the jury awarded the prize to Fontana
which also included a quick description of the work
the travel magazine of Lloyd Triestino and Cosulich (two of the largest companies of the time: Cosulich
but maintained a certain autonomy until 1936)
in an article entitled The Success of the Great National Competition: "the prize-winning sign
the themes imposed by the call for entries
producing an admirable work of art as well as effectively advertising: a globe hinted at in its essential elements
circumference and some trace of parallels and meridians
sprung up like a ray of sunshine." Economy of colors
hues that might palpate a direct reference to Abstraction-Création (one of the two founders
was also one of the founders of the De Stijl group)
are the only ones that characterize the poster's elements
from the globe (a simple circle with shaded contours
three arcs to form the polar circles and a meridian and a horizontal line for the Equator) to the outline of the ship via the claim "Express Services for the Whole World" and the names of the companies
and they help to grant the poster thatessentiality deemed so effective by the jury and that ensured the work such popularity that it continued to be reproduced
The work allowed Fontana to circulate his name among shipping companies: the poster
was but the first of several works the artist produced for shipping companies
he was commissioned to make four reliefs for the Floating Pavilion that the Italian shipping companies were presenting at the International Exhibition in Paris
whom Marinetti had nicknamed Tullio d'Albisola (Albisola Superiore
1971): he had been the intermediary of the anti-fascist art critic Edoardo Persico
It was thanks to this acquaintance that Fontana decided to deepen his relationship with ceramics and move to Albissola Marina
where he began a fruitful production of ceramics
which he never abandoned for the rest of his career
so much so that in the 1950s he decided to locate a studio
had adhered to the Futurist Ceramics Manifesto and
began to collaborate actively with the Mazzotti family
owners of one of Albissola's historic ceramic factories
And it was from the Mazzotti's kilns that the five ceramic panels destined for the "Conte Grande," an ocean liner built for Lloyd Sabaudo and launched in 1927
came out: it served the Genoa-New York line
but was later also destined for voyages to South America
that it was requisitioned by the Brazilian government and handed over to the U.S
the "Conte Grande," chartered by the Italia Company
The first voyage of the modernized liner took place on July 15
from Genoa to Buenos Aires (curiously enough
had repaired when Italy took part in World War II
the sculptor had been commissioned to make ceramic panels that were to decorate the lobby of one of the galleries of the "Conte Grande," the first-class one
and they represented the Equator (the only one lost)
The intent was to ideally link the stages touched by the "Conte Grande" during its ocean crossings
and Fontana 's works were part of a wide-ranging artistic project
the history of which is summarized in Cecilia Chilosi 's essay entitled Mediterraneo
The Knights of the Apocalypse: the four ceramic panels aboard the Conte Grande and Fontana's contribution to the architecture of Nave
the only essay on the work created by the artist for the liner
needed to reconstitute a "fleet worthy of past prestige": the task fell to Finmare
the maritime finance company founded in 1936
supported with its own means the activities of the main shipping companies (including
in which it had taken a majority shareholding
The reconstitution of a modern fleet also passed through the refitting of ship fittings
An important role was to be played byart: indeed
the ships would accommodate works by the most celebrated masters of the time
in order to create an "atmosphere of elegant worldliness," which was considered particularly suitable for the modern
were considered an integral part of this project
presents us with Spain as the first stop on the itinerary: a common feature of the entire cycle of the "Conte Grande" is to evoke the theme of each panel through characterizing elements
presents in the center of the composition a bullfighter holding a capote
the large cloth used to tire out the bull in one of the bullfighting stages (as distinct from the muleta
which the matador holds in one hand and uses in the finale)
The Mediterranean panel is distinguished by its warm hues and symbols that evoke the ancient cultures that flourished along its shores: in the center is a large sun illuminating the sea (also common to Spain and Brazil)
illuminating a landscape in shades of blue and green: we see in the background the vast expanse of theocean surmounted by Sugarloaf Mountain and
animals typical of Brazil: colorful parrots and ananaconda crawling through the vegetation
These splendid ceramics are distinguished by their great plastic force
typical of this phase of Lucio Fontana's production
which at the time was in the midst of the path that would lead him toward the poetics of Spatialism that would characterize the last part of his career and
represent its most revolutionary and original outcome (such as to guarantee him a prominent place in the history of art): forms that writhe in swirls that evokeBaroque aesthetics
that acquire such vigor that the panels take on the character of sculptures (Fontana claimed to be a sculptor rather than a ceramist)
and that with their contrasts between solids and voids somewhat anticipate the spatial concepts that Fontana began in that very same 1949
The great brilliance of the colors and their tendency to iridescence are due to the lustro technique with which Fontana finished the panels: the ceramic
but at lower temperatures and with the addition of a special impasto
so as to guarantee the work thus transformed iridescent effects that intend to imitate the effect of metals and precious stones
the year in which the "Conte Grande" was sent for demolition
almost all the furnishings were sold at auction by Finarte: some works
remained in the warehouses of the Italia company
Among the latter were the panels by Fontana
after Cecilia Chilosi's report dating back to 1995
They were then sent to Faenza where they underwent restoration at the Laboratory of the International Museum of Ceramics
at the exhibition that the city of Milan dedicated to the centenary of Lucio Fontana's birth
they were destined for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Albissola Marina
Temporarily exhibited at the Fornace Alba Docilia in 2010
at the time of the reorganization of the Ligurian town's civic museums
at the MuDA exhibition center in Albissola Marina
where they have found a worthy and prestigious collocation
within a setting that succeeds in fully enhancing them: it is here that the public can now admire these four works
witnesses to one of the most fervent seasons of our art history and an important stage in the artistic career of one of the great names of the twentieth century
a scholarly tool such as a catalog raisonné normally is
intend to learn about a perhaps lesser-known aspect of Baj’s production
moreover: the texts are in Italian and English
ceramics is not a linear element in the Milanese artist’s career: in fact
tackled with passion and dedication at specific moments of his artistic life
Bochicchio recalls three two-faced sculptures kept in the entrance of his own home
mouths and noses also sculpted on the back of the head
represent a polyhedral nature based on the complexity of the human being
declared that the artist’s task is to leave a trace
those two-faced Giani fully respond to Baj’s mission and statement
They ideally link up with the footprints left by more distant ancestors
In tracing the master’s ceramic years
Bochicchio dwells on the chromaticity of the majolica made in Faenza by Baj
what is attractive about the works is found in the crowd of faces that support them
They are figures charged with human frailty
Baj thus confronts themes such as contemporary society
and uses ceramics as a tool for critique and reflection
And certainly his ability to combine the grotesque with the sublime makes his ceramic corpus one of the most original demonstrations of twentieth-century art
The artist thus had the ability to adapt his poetics to ceramic materials and techniques
and his various experiments demonstrate this: his approach to terracotta in Albisola in the 1950s (it was here
that Baj conducted his first experiments: these were mainly relief panels
the majolica made in Faenza and Imola in the 1980s and 1990s after almost thirty years without touching the clay material (the artist
said that he was first and foremost a painter and had for these reasons suspended his research on ceramics)
and the final productions in Castellamonte
“The approach to ceramics,” Baj would have said in the 1980s
“has always been totally spontaneous for me
in accordance with my sensibility and my way of making art
I do and have always done material painting
the insertion of objects and materials having their own weight and identity.”
The volume thus simultaneously addresses two aspects: there is obviously a technical cataloguing of the works
but also the placing of these works in a broader historical and cultural context
All this highlights Baj’s dialogue with the great artistic movements of his time such as Surrealism
It is precisely linked to the figure of Jarry
in the second part of the twentieth century that the Milanese sculptor made numerous ceramics inspired by the play Ubu roi
drawing on the pataphysical imagery of Alfred Jarry
a French writer born in Laval in 1873 and known for having developed the science of imaginary solutions
Among the artist’s works is an important work such as The Stories of Ubu made between 1983 and 1985
which not only represents Baj’s creative and experimental genius
but above all becomes a tool for dealing with the difficulties of contemporary life
The irony and absurdity that characterizes Ubu is transformed into a remedy to the rigidity of reality and presents imaginary solutions toward what are the darkest moments in everyone’s life
Bochicchio does not fail to pay homage to the skill and experience of Faenza-based ceramists such as Davide Servadei
whose skills (technical and physical) were instrumental in translating Baj’s visions into reality
What then is the central theme of the catalog
Definitely Baj’s relationship with Italian craft workshops
considered the true centers of excellence where the artist found the basis for his experiments
Not being a traditional ceramist or a specialized technician
Baj always collaborated with master ceramists such as Servadei
who in his case guided and assisted him in the realization of his visions
Tied to the expertise toward the assembly and disassembly of the works are recalled by Bochicchio two particular moments related to the setting up of several installations
The one in 2001 on the occasion of the retrospective on Baj at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome
characterized by the instability of the installation of La Bella e la Bestia
with the risk of the work’s collapse
during the installation of I funerali dell’anarchico Pinelli in the Sala Napoleonica in Brera
in which the setters climbed on a very high and unstable scaffold
the delicacy and importance of the ceramics required meticulous work
The volume, released at the end of 2024 on the occasion of a double anniversary (the 100th anniversary of Baj’s birth and the 70th anniversary of his first ceramics, made in Albisola in 1954), also delves into a not insignificant theme: the comparison between Baj and well-known ceramic masters, including Lucio Fontana
Although both chose matter as their expressive medium
used ceramics to flesh out the vision of his spatial concept
Through works such as Concetto spaziale of 1954
he used ceramics in the same way as canvas and imprinted violent
energy-laden gestures into the material to create a tension between control and chaos
has interpreted ceramics in completely distinct ways
through effects that express his playful nature and willingness to overturn the traditional rules of ceramics
and constantly mocks the dramatic human condition
Baj’s works are fragments of a poetics that combines play and depth
And the Catalogue raisonné of ceramic works analyzes the eclectic and visionary dimension of an artist who struggled against the boundaries between art and craft
The catalog is therefore aimed at scholars
enthusiasts and the curious and presents a journey through ceramics as a metaphor for the life and thought of Enrico Baj
Located on the beautiful Riviera Ligure di Ponente
Savona is a port city that combines history
The city is dominated by the majestic Priamar Fortress
an imposing construction that offers panoramic views of the sea
one can admire architectural gems such as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption and the Leon Pancaldo Tower
cobblestone streets lead to picturesque squares.But Savona is not only history and art
The city boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in Liguria
with golden sand and crystal clear waters that invite relaxation and water sports
Some have been awarded Blue Flag status for the quality of their waters
lovers of good food will find a paradise of flavors in Savona
The local gastronomic tradition includes delicious dishes such as farinata
and the famous pesto alla Genovese (which is also eaten in Savona)
Local markets and artisan stores offer typical products and fresh ingredients
perfect for taking a piece of Savona home with you: above all
which celebrates the ancient ceramic tradition of nearby Albissola
Easily accessible Savona is also a great starting point for exploring other fascinating locations in Liguria
Its strategic location and well-connected transportation network make it easy to get around and discover the region’s hidden treasures
Here are 11 things to see and do in Savona
Did you know that chinotto is Savona’s most distinctive food product
a unique citrus fruit and Slow Food Presidium
this fruit is handcrafted to create drinks
Savona’s chinotto is processed using an artisanal method that traces a centuries-old tradition
Because chinotto is not eaten in its natural state but must be processed into drinks
There are several places where you can taste it in the form of a drink with a bitter aftertaste
including the old Besio pastry shop in Piazza Mameli
which has guarded the secrets of candying and processing chinotto since 1860
the bell at the War Memorial strikes 21 chimes
Fun fact: It is the highest rated Savona attraction on TripAdvisor
and Daniele Panucci in collaboration with Francesca Anfossi
a solo exhibition by Tommaso Corvi Mora curated by Daniele Panucci with critical contributions by Irene Biolchini and Luca Bochicchio
are the two exhibitions on view at the until Feb
The two projects deepen the research that the Savona-based museum is conducting on the most recent developments in contemporary ceramic art in relation to the artisanal and productive fabric of Savona and the Albisole
Following the success of Lam et Les Magiciens de la Mer
the first Italian exhibition dedicated to the ceramic work of Cuban Wifredo Lam
the Museo della Ceramica shifts the spotlight to London.The two exhibitions present
the work of Anfossi and Corvi Mora-both Italian artists who have been active in the United Kingdom for decades-created as part of two separate residencies held in local workshops and laboratories
investigating the different modes of expression with which the two artists explore the fabric of relationships and processes of sharing and experience
At the heart of the project A tavola con Rochester Square (Francesca Anfossi
Paulina Michnowska and Lex Franchi) curated by Alessio Cotena
Marco Isaia and Daniele Panucci is the social and convivial vision of ceramic art that the London-based studio led by Francesca Anfossi (Genoa
On the fourth and fifth floors and on the terrace of the Savona Ceramics Museum are the collective works designed by Rochester Square artists - Francesca Anfossi (IT)
Paulina Michnowska (UK) and Lex Franchi (UK) - during a residency organized in late August
by the Exhibitions and Educational Programs departments of the Savona museum
Professional and nonprofessional ceramists
brought the exhibition’s design to life
with the support of local artisan workshops and creative centers
the Municipal School of Ceramics of Albisola Superiore
Casa Museo Jorn and the Ceramics Museum workshop
On display are terracotta stools made by Rochester Square artists
along with earthenware and straw pots inspired by museum collections
decorated tableware and lathe-made containers dedicated to food fermentation
The terrace houses large vases made from plaster casts in homage to the International Movement for an Imaginist Bauhaus
The main room is set up like a banquet: bread sculptures are installed on the walls
and the works are displayed around a large table handmade by children during summer workshops
which at the opening was transformed into a real table set for guests to enjoy art in all senses
The top floor of the museum was repurposed as a workshop where for the duration of the exhibition the public could try their hand at making sculptures for the earth garden set up on the terrace and intended to transport the atmosphere of the Rochester Square nursery from London to the heart of Savona
It has a more intimate character Diario di Tommaso Corvi Mora curated by Daniele Panucci with critical contributions by Irene Biolchini and Luca Bochicchio: a diffuse exhibition that is hosted by the Museum of Ceramics in Savona
the Laundry in Albissola Marina - home of the Angelo Ruga Cultural Association
The project originated in 2021 from an idea by Irene Biolchini
and investigates the artist’s practice in his intimate and everyday universe through the expressive media of drawing
with which Corvi Mora has been dealing since 2009
Diary presents works made during the residencies he had in the last two years within the Albisola-based manufactures Ceramiche San Giorgio and Studio Ernan Design
ceramic slabs with explicit references to the artist’s experience
some plates and a series of coat hangers-an object with a liminal position that welcomes and accommiates-a tribute to the work of Luciano Fabro
and works dedicated to Albisola inspired by the graphics elaborated by Milton Glaser for the city of New York
Flanking them is a series of weavings testifying to the genesis of the project
Also enriching the exhibition are a number of photographs taken in 1988 that develop the artist’s reflections on everyday life
time conceived as the raw material of the work
current events and the relationship between the public and private spheres
Several ceramics have also been “entrusted to the city,” left on the streets of Albissola Marina
available to the public who can take them in and insert them into the flow of everyday life
At Table with Rochester Square is a project of the Museum of Ceramics in Savona
carried out in collaboration with Francesca Anfossi’s Rochester Square studio
Diary is a project coordinated by the Angelo Ruga Association
realized with contributions from the De Mari Foundation and the City of Albissola Marina
in collaboration with the Museum of Ceramics Savona
Savona Hours: Mondays 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays: 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m
and 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.; Sundays 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m
Tickets: full 5 euros; reduced 3 euros; free under 18 and people with disabilities Info: info@museodellaceramica.savona.it; +39 331 891 6650 museodellaceramica.savona.it
"I am particularly happy about this collaboration," explains Francesca Anfossi
"the first for me and Rochester Square with a museum institution
to tell the artistic but also social value of ceramics
inclusive material that can be humble and at the same time very sophisticated
So versatile that it can create extraordinary sculptures and
be used every day for the most common activities
“I started working on this exhibition in January 2021 during the longest lockdown I have had in the UK,” explains Tommaso Corvi Mora
“creating weavings on a small loom to be held on my lap
The abstract motifs represented in these works are linked to intimate narratives
and reflections stimulated by the repetition of the weaving gesture
the connection of this practice with ceramics
What they have in common is the simplicity
the everydayness and the ”non-artistry“ of the final object.”
this is not a work that elicits feelings of ecstatic contemplation
was to some extent alien to Asger Jorn’s art
a year after his arrival in Albissola Marina
and thus at a time when he had already become quite familiar with the art of ceramics
the Danish artist exhibited his most recent works in his native Copenhagen at the Kunstindustrimuseet
the traditional and the masterful equate to the beautiful
the remarkable and the singular must equate to the ugly
but it is the boring.” Ugliness became
an important stylistic feature of his achievements
guilty of caging creativity and subjecting drives and feelings to the rigid control of reason
the definition of “non-aesthetic art.” And also against the individualism ofabstract expressionism
a particularly visionary painter like Giuseppe “Pinot” Gallizio (Alba
Wrote Gallizio: We have created a new aesthetic theory
through the consideration that the non-aesthetic is not the Ugly and the Repugnant
creativity and singularity (also understood as the direct expression of the individual
which is always manifested in the context of acollective experience) constitutes the foundational basis of Jorn’s artistic credo
“Our goal,” the artist wrote in 1949 in his Speech to the Penguins
one of the founding texts of the CoBrA group
“is to free ourselves from the control of reason
which has been and still is what the bourgeoisie has idealized in order to seize control of lives.” In such a context,irony
a tool that pertains much more to the logic of the ugly than the beautiful
becomes an indispensable aesthetic foundation
no form can be capable of making itself the bearer of a single content: irony therefore becomes a means of probing meaning (but not of arriving at truth
since truth is not unique and especially not stable)
of stimulating a response from the audience
of enacting the social critique that is a constant that permeates virtually all of his art
gives a dimension of this aspect of Jornian research: a funny and awkward individual who takes on the appearance of a kind of elongated mask sits firmly anchored to his own chair
one of Asger Jorn’s first ceramic creations during his time in Italy
It should be noted that experimentation with ceramics played an important role in the art of Jorn
who discovered it in Denmark but delved into it systematically during his Albissola years
constituted for Jorn an important synthesis of popular artistic expression: always interested in spontaneous artistic manifestations far removed from the Academy
the Danish artist also ended up amassing a sizeable collection of ceramics and objects made by local artisans
Jorn often intervened in accordance with the poetics of détournement (the subversion
of the meaning or aesthetic canons of a work or writing)
that “flexible language of anti-ideology,” as Guy Debord called it
that characterized the artistic practice of the Situationists
Particularly significant in this regard is a 1959 painting
known as Le canard inquiétant (“The Disturbing Duck”)
along with other détournés paintings (there were twenty in all)
in an exhibition at the Galerie Rive Gauche in Paris that bore the title Modifications
Jorn had purchased twenty low-quality paintings
and on each of them he had affixed his own modifications
which involved subverting the meaning of the original work
There were many levels of interpretation of this practice: two of them were suggested by Jorn himself
who presented two texts in the exhibition catalog
one aimed at the “general public,” and the other aimed at “connoisseurs.” The general public was provocatively urged to see
“porquoi rejeter l’ancien / si on peut le moderniser / avec quelques traits de pinceau
/ Ça jette de l’actualité / sur votre vieille culture
/ et distingués / du même coup
/ Autant donner le coup de grâce
/ Vive la peinture” ("Why throw away past things / if it is possible to modernize them / with a few strokes of the brush
/ Be fashionable / and distinguish yourselves / at the same time
As for the ”connoisseurs," on the other hand
the invitation to them was to get out of the logic of the work of art as an end
and to enter instead into that of the work of art as a means capable of creating a bond between the subject who creates the work (and
when the latter does so for its own pure pleasure
the attitude becomes irreconcilable with interest in the object)
And it is on this link that détournement acts: “dévaloriser,” “de-valorizing,” to create new values
has devoted a profound analysis to Modifications
stands as a critique of institutions: far from expiring into a simple and banal iconoclasm
the détournés paintings placed attention on anonymous works yet belonging to a traditional creativity that the Academy had marginalized but that for Jorn was more than worthy of attention
as indeed Jorn himself implied in his two writings “to the general public” and “to the connoisseurs,” aimed to make the viewer a participatory subject
insofar as the détourné painting provokes in him a reaction of empathy or hostility
in accordance with the concept of “art” according to Jorn (“Kunst er agitation,” or “Art is agitation,” he had written in 1948)
Again: go back to Le canard inquiétant
a tranquil country landscape with a pond in which some swans swim
and then modified with touches of color that make it an even more bizarre and alienating being
there is also an attack on the cliché that wants to tie painting totechnical skill: Jorn’s duck remains in a state of perpetual unfinishedness
full wholeness involves a separation from real experience
the ironic dialogue between the relaxing pre-existing painting and the ugly duck (i.e.
between two elements aesthetically at opposites) is meant to suggest to the viewer the vastness of forms of expression in a complex society
Returning to Asger Jorn’s relationship with ceramics, it can be added that, at the time of the Danish artist’s arrival in Italy, ceramic art was experiencing a particularly fortunate season, since a large number of artists (beginning with Lucio Fontana and Leoncillo) had begun to explore its possibilities
to consider it a field on which it was possible to conduct experimentation that moved in a different direction from that of sculpture as it had been practiced up to that time
the interest in ceramics had arisen thanks to Lucio Fontana
to his friend Tullio Mazzotti (whom Marinetti had nicknamed Tullio d’Albisola)
a Futurist ceramist and owner of one of the historic factories in Albissola Marina
and began to reflect on an art form that guaranteed great freedom and that in some ways annulled the distance between avant-garde art and kitsch art
in a dialectical relationship that was long researched by Jorn himself
one of the first contacts Jorn had at the time of his arrival in Italy
and it is to be expected that some of the Danish artist’s work on ceramics would take its cue from Fontana’s experiments
The two were also the promoters of one of the highest events in the history of twentieth-century Italian art
which took place in Albissola in the summer of 1954 and was attended by many of the great artists of the time: in addition to Fontana and Jorn
had a certain predisposition not to embody well-defined concepts
but rather to leave the viewer with broad faculties of interpretation
A work such as Tidlig vÃ¥r (“Beginning of Spring”) is as illustrative as ever: Jorn suggests a title
but it is up to the observer to probe these figures
Hans Kolstad wants to see in the composition a female bird spreading her wings to protect her young)
Relief ceramics were much practiced by Jorn at this stage: “these reliefs,” writes Ursula Lehmann-Brockhaus
“show that the artist did not simply transpose pictorial conceptions from canvas to clay
rather that he immersed himself in the material and technique in order to make the most of the expressive and figurative possibilities contained therein
He molded largilla with expressive gestures and let limmagine form plastically and
He also knew how to include a linear component
taking advantage of the need to dismember the firing slab into irregular pieces rather than a linear grid
Jorn found a mode of expression very much suited to his artistic temperament.” Jorn never abandoned ceramics: at the Exhibition Center of the Albissola Diffuse Museum it is possible to observe
a series of plates that belong to the extreme stages of his career
Jorn did not stop experimenting: he tried his hand at complementary colors
at the particular dripping that responds in an ironic and humorous way to that of Jackson Pollock (who
is preceded by Jorn: the Danish artist’s first experiments with the dripping technique date back to 1938)
it is interesting to note that that reappraisal of ugliness mentioned in the opening paragraph was also propelled by the International Ceramics Meeting: the works exhibited in 1955 in Copenhagen were all created on that occasion
and it is there that the discourse on “ugliness” takes shape in a timely and systematic way
But Asger Jorn also proposed something else: “the Albissola meeting was not a coincidence
but a new step toward the construction of a new artistic principle
a free artistic methodology that has the name Mouvement Internationale pour un Bauhaus Imaginiste
turned against architectural rationalism and against empiricism.” Thus was born the movement of free artists that would form the basis of theSituationist International.