Me And Art 4: Il Giardino dei Lauri

  If you are a regular reader of Live Pronto, you know that I have a few posts about me and art here in the can.

  So to speak. 

  I enjoy researching art that I've been fortunate to have seen. Writing about these shows, the artists, and the various venues allows me to delve a little deeper into the pieces, as well as giving me an opportunity to share more about an artist that I am not familiar with.

  We are looking forward to (ok, getting really excited about) heading to Venice this fall for the 55th Biannale, which has just recently begun. This is a great chance to see some real heavy hitters in the Contemporary Art scene, from all over world. 

  I can't wait.

  With this in mind, I decided it would be a good time to share a fantastic spot we found this year in Umbria. Actually, I had done some looking online, and discovered it before we arrived. We were  stoked that it was open off season.

  An amazing private collection, housed in an industrial building and open to the public free of charge...just a few minutes from Panicale...?

  Who Knew?

  Consider yourselves schooled, friends.

  Welcome to Il Giardino dei Lauri.

  

  Located just outside of Citta della Pieve, in Umbria, the space is almost hidden. You really need to know where to look to find it.

  Once through the main gate and into the small parking area, the first thing I noticed were the large sculptures on the property.

Just above the parking area, a taste of things to come...
"Untitled(The Thing)", by Polish artist Piotr Uklanski, along with
"Big Pink" from Texas artist, Aaron Curry.
More on the sculptures later.....

  

  We were the only visitors on this early Spring morning. After a quick glance from afar at the sculpture, we were greeted by the young woman who directs the collection. She is very knowledgable, of course, and gives you the option of being there as a guide, or allowing you to wander on your own. There is a written guide in several languages, also. We chatted for sometime with her, finding out about the genesis of the collection, and then headed inside to be amazed.

  Over the entryway, a neon piece by Texas artist Michael Phelan greets you, and I was very curious about the container of balloons just inside....

"Bless You Taco Bell" Michael Phelan (USA)
Fusing business culture and advertising with religion..

  Just inside the entrance is, to me, a very playful work by Martin Creed. It is interactive, which I love. As a viewer, I am always so tempted to get closer, to touch, which can't be done, of course. But here, you are not only allowed, but encouraged, to climb into the chamber and play with the balloons. 

  Evidently, there are just enough balloons so that the air contained within the balloons occupies half the volume of the space where they are installed.

  Our guide told us that kids love it. Righhht...kids....

"Work NO. 200: Half the Air in a Given Space" Martin Creed(England)

Kids love it.......ooopsy, I am so busted.

  There are two large gallery rooms inside, as well as the entry and two smaller spaces. We were blown away by the collection...Some real Blue Chip artists here. I have chosen about half of what was on display, to feature in this post. A truly awesome group...

"Red Clown Deadline", Vincenzo Rusciano (Italy) with
"River Furnace" from French artist, Nicolas Pol.
I like the canvas very much. Great energy.

Another shot of "Red Clown Deadline".
He's not taking any flack from Death....

  And in the same room as the clown.....

Cuban artist Jorge Pardo's "Untitled", a lovely installation of colored lamps. They reflect color and
movement onto the wall, which features "De l'intermediaire de l'accordeon",
by Valentin Carron(Switzerland).

  The works, above, were all so arresting together...the color, the simplicity of them as a group. It was a very good room. That clown, jeez.
  There is a bunch of meaning behind the cross, but I just really liked looking at the work all together.


  In another smaller gallery....

I love this. It is large, and so energetic...
"Untitled" Anselm Reyle (Germany)

Simple scrunching up of, what? Mylar, I think. And the color is perfect.
It's all about reflections, this one.

  Upon entering the first large gallery, I was so excited to see this work by English artists Tim Noble and Sue Weber. I'd only seen their "shadow" works in books before, so it was cool to experience this in person.

Looks like a pile of one dollar bills in a plexiglass box.
  It is.

  The director came in to "turn it on" for us.......by inserting a token into the slot, which fired it up.

  At this point, a fan blows all the loose bills upward, and a lamp is lit, so the shadow reveals the two artists in profile kissing, on the wall behind. At the end, all the bills spill to the bottom again in a heap.
  If you find this interesting, check into other works by these two. There are books of photos of the various"shadow" works, often made with piles of found objects and junk...always with the shadows of figures being revealed....

"Instant Gratification" Sue Webster & Tim Noble (England)
There are layers of significance here, about fame, fortune, success or failure.
 I just like the fact that these artists do this.

  Also in the first gallery, the massive canvas below...I had Johnny stand by, just for a sense of scale.

  

"Untitled" Daniel Largon (Germany)
The artist is known for using, among other things, fluorescent colors that transform
ultraviolet and infrared light into visible light.
This was striking in both scale and shimmery magic-ness.

  

  On the other end of the size spectrum, I fell in love with this tiny delight, below.

  Italian artist, Carlo Zanni, creates a small world here, that includes a two minute film, shown on the iPod screen, as well as online. The film is modified by data received via the internet, and re-edited some how, through Google analytics, and updated.... I was just floored by the idea. There is a lot more going on with this teensy piece, but it would take too long to explain.....well...  As more people go online and watch the film, it changes the film. The main character, in bed with an illness, gets "sicker" as more people log on and watch, but it makes for a more successful piece. 

  In a nutshell.

  Whew.

"The Possible Ties Between Illness and Success"
Carlo Zanni (Italy)

  The second large gallery has two doors, each by a different artist. We entered through:

"Untitled (Door)"  Urs Fischer (Switzerland)
Though it looks ordinary, it is actually made
by fusing aluminum components together and enamelling the result.

  One of my very favorite pieces in the whole collection we saw, below, is by Scottish artist Jim Lambie. It is created from doors and mirrors, sort of put together like an accordion. The reflections from the zigzag lines, on the wall above and below, as well as the "perfect green" color...well, it just really appeals to me.
  I kept going returning to it, walking slowly back and forth in front of it. LOVE.

"Shoot Your Shot" Jim Lambie (Scotland)
This photo does no justice, but you may get an idea.
Mirrors on top and underneath.

Also in this gallery, a few of these works from Aaron Young(USA).
He creates these sculptures by destroying mesh fences, or in this case, a restraining fence,
and immersing them in 24 carat gold. He is playing with ideas of urban culture and conflicts,
as well as rebellion from a dominant culture.

The gallery seen from the far end, with the black and white "skull" photograph.

"Untitled(Skull)"  Piotr Uklanski (Poland)
One of several works from this artist seen in the collection here.

I also like this one, "Not Yet Titled(The End)" from Banks Violette.
 It has a companion piece, seen in the gallery shot above.
A bank of lights facing this piece.

  Leaving this gallery, we left through a wonderful black lacquered door by Rudolf Stingel, a favorite artist around the Apodaca home. Well, it would be nice to have one of Mr. Stingel's works actually in our home.

  Hope springs eternal....

  Also seen here, "Ziggy Stardust (Euro)" by Hong Kong artist, Mark Handforth. You can't really see the colors of the fluorescent lights here, but get an idea...I remember it being yellow, pink, orange and blue..

"Untitled" Rudolph Stingel (Italy)
I love the reflection of the zig-zag neon piece on the door

  We were shown one more piece before going outside to see the sculpture garden, and I've left it until the end. I made a short video...we will come back to it in a minute...

  Going back outside, I noticed the huge piece, below, which I had not noticed when we first arrived. Shockingly, because, well, it's gigantic and fantastic. The artist, Piero Golia (Italy), is known for outrageous works, and this is most definitely one of them. Here he has removed the facade of an entire house, and it's being shown on it's side, in this case. The house was in Amsterdam, and this piece was originally sent to Paris to be exhibited in an art gallery there.

  In front you see the little car..."Untitled (Fiat 126P, Pink)". Another work from Piotr Uklanski (Poland).  He converted a real Fiat 126P, produced in Poland between 1973 and 2000, into a "sportier", convertible cabriolet. 

  Evidently the original cars have become iconic in Poland, and this is a play on that image...

"It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" Piero Golia (Italy)
with "Untitled(Fiat 126P, Pink)" Piotr Uklanski(Poland) in foreground.
Home is where the car is?
Two really great works...

  So we headed up a grassy knoll to enjoy the large sculptures there..it was a little breezy, but still nice enough outside to enjoy the incredible views from the edges of the vast lawn area. There were only a few pieces up here, but they were of such a grand scale, it was all that was needed...

"Big Pink"  Aaron Curry(USA)
I wish I had a shot from behind, which clearly shows that this piece
"has a pair".... a very playful and very large work.

  The rainbow, below is just enormous. So large, it can be seen from miles away. On special event nights, when the garden hosts parties, it's all lit up. I can just imagine what it must be like to see it from the valley below...or from across the valley. 

  It's that big!

"Where Do We Go From Here?" Ugo Rondinone (Switzerland)
A gigantic neon installation, this work takes on different meanings,
depending on where it is displayed. I think it's perfect right here.

Across the lawn, "Lupo" by Italian artist Davide Rivalta.
 It is from a series dedicated to animals. The wolf is life-size.
Great shadow play in the "fur".

Hidden away, in the family's private garden, I spied Wiley Coyote.....
He appears very serene and contemplative. I couldn't see his expression,
so who knows for certain...?

  The short video below, is the end of my little "tour" and I think my favorite piece. I can only hope that you, the viewers, can get an idea of the concept.
  We were ushered into a small side room, all dark and very misty...to view this for only a matter of moments...it doesn't last long because of it's nature...I feel so grateful to have experienced this wonderful work.
 
  Since I will take forever trying to describe this, I am just going to give you some copy from an Interview magazine article, which describes it upon it's display in another gallery:


"In his recent show at Maureen Paley in London, 34-year-old artist Banks Violette projected the image of the white, galloping horse from the opening of TriStar Pictures movies on water vapor being blown by a fan. In many ways, Violette was referencing a work by one of his heroes, Jack Goldstein, who looped the roaring MGM lion in a 1975 video piece. Violette's TriStar horse keeps running, and the everlasting lifespan of the hackneyed image is very much a part of the New York artist's experiments. Specifically, Violette focuses on youth and subcultures (black is his frequent working color), simultaneously celebrating their revolt and revealing the queasy way they recycle images and slogans to keep themselves alive."

  "Tristar Horse" Banks Violette (USA)

  There are several videos on You Tube, mine included, if you want to see more of "TriStar Horse".

  Here, I want to thank the fine people at Il Giardino dei Lauri for their inspired collection, and for sharing it with the public. For free. I have referenced their printed material abundantly in this post, and I thank them for this, too.
  This is only about half of the pieces shown the days we were there. I chose the work I liked, and thought would be interesting to share. There are way too many to write about them all....perhaps in another post, later.

  It's a very inspiring place, and if you ever find yourself anywhere near Citta della Pieve, it's a must.
Open only on Fridays and Saturdays. We went twice this visit, and I have no doubt we will return again next Spring, to see what's new in the collection.
  There is a great place for lunch just across the street, too. I'll be posting about our wonderful lunch in the near future.