Giorgio Tentolini from Casalmaggiore (CR)
How your way of working has changed?
I have to say that, for a series of lucky coincidences and having obtained the studio in the house, I never had to change or even slow down production, rather, immediately, past the first moments of bewilderment, I told myself that I would have two choices: adapt to this new situation, laying the foundations for a new vision of tomorrow, or change jobs. I opted for the former, taking advantage of the increased free time to devote myself to new research channels, new exposure strategies and to pay even more attention and love to my work, with the fixed idea that the only way to fall on your feet is to engage the turbo to be ready at the time of reopening.
What you're missing? Your personal experience of "absence" and "lack".
We are experiencing the phase 1 and in a few days the nebula phase will be waiting for us 2 (the artist replied to our interview on 3 May 2020, ed)… The pre-viral period now seems light years away, the mantra "nothing will be the same" accompanies every current conversation and this influences the perception of the future. I miss "human contact" and it destroys me to experience "the other" as a possible biological danger. Man has evolved thanks to his extraordinary adaptability and therefore I have no doubts we will get used to this new condition. For my part, I will do my best to be part of this new present myself. I feel like it, like all, to return to exhibit in a physical place, surrounded by a real audience, until this is possible again I will be happy to take advantage of the means made available and I will take advantage of the new display solutions.
Museums and galleries have reacted to the moment with digitalization and virtuality. What are your "strategies" for establishing new relationships?
The first thing I did, imprisonment started, was to take action in this sense as well, by joining various initiatives; first of all, I accepted an invitation to participate in a beautiful virtual exhibition at the Brun Fine Art gallery in Old Bond Street in London (https://brunfineart.com/viewing-room/1-parnassos-giorgio-tentolini-an-online-exhibition/). In record time they made a 3D reconstruction of the exhibition spaces, all accompanied by a beautiful catalog full of critical images and texts. It was inaugurated a few days ago but we are already collecting excellent feedback. I think it was an excellent idea that is already paying off. The other galleries in Italy too, America, Greece and France were immediately activated by increasing online sales and dedicating themselves to promoting my work.
How do you imagine the world, when everything will start again?
I don't want to be rhetorical, but I imagine it better, I don't want to think otherwise. History teaches us that crises have always led to great strides forward, the important, In this sentence, is to grit your teeth and resist. We all stopped and said “And now what will become of us?”. We cannot know, if we just record current information, we can only fall into the darkest depression. We stay focused, therefore, ready to adapt to the changes and difficulties of the restart. The past few years we were all victims of a hyper accelerated system, now we are experiencing a moment that can give us the opportunity to slow down and reflect; let's do it and come up with ideas, taking up the challenge of being ready and stronger than before.
Giorgio Tentolini, Casalmaggiore (CR), 1978.
From the studied overlapping of cuttings on layers of metal mesh they re-emerge, with the consistency of intangible visions, the chiaroscuro gradations of the snapshots that the artist's photographic shot has subtracted from the media din of contemporaneity: anatomy, faces of Girls and mannequins (Attendance), subjects of classical statuary (Pagan Poetry) and the architectural structure of apartments (Properties). Since the early years 2000, his analytical approach to vision leads him to divide the image into brightness levels, scanned in the acetate, in the plexiglass, in the paper in the pvc nets and in the tulle. The works in wire mesh (2016-2020) represent the pinnacle of this expressive research. The intertwining game, displacement and overlapping of the hexagonal modules that make up the mesh of the networks is transformed into the perceptual texture through which the eye captures the distinctive features of the subject, structured by the stratification of the areas of light and shadow. Winner of the Nocivelli Award, of the Rigamonti Prize as part of the San Fedele Visual Arts Prize in Milan, of the Paratissima Torino Award and Special Mentions at the Arteam Cup of Espoarte magazine, the artist exhibited in London, Berlin, Amsterdam, in the Principality of Monaco, as well as at: the Monferrato Palace in Alessandria, the Dino Zoli Foundation in Forlì and the Palazzo della Ragione in Verona. In 2014 one of his works enters the permanent collection of the MAR of Ravenna. In 2018, as a finalist of the Cairo Prize, edited by the magazine Arte, exhibits at the Palazzo Reale in Milan. [Guendalina Belli]
His reference gallery is Colossi Arte Contemporanea, Brescia.
www.giorgiotentolini.com