The Chinese fashion lady, the stylist and art expert Hui Zhou Zhao (her Chinese Top ten Eachway Fashion Group) wanted her to inaugurate her own way art and fashion museum. In fact, there were only two Italian protagonists from May 6th to 13th of the Intangible Culture Heritage Art Exhibition in Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, and among these the multifaceted Genoese artist Loredana Galante, who just returned to Italy, told us about this experience. While today comes out "Ten things to know about contemporary art" by Alessandra Redaelli: a book on contemporary artists and currents, including Loredana.
For the exhibition you have created a particularly evocative work: which?
The gaze on the world, for me, is a look of constant wonder, so it is an emotional space that welcomes the surprise. In this way a space of possibility is affirmed, of inclusion of the unexpected, of wonder, of suspended observation. A place of eventuality. From here, therefore, my work is born, a three-meter dress, hanging, which is left floating like a river. At two ends the bound fishes keep it open, revealing inside a welcoming space in which to enter. It is a sort of Wunderkammer: there are transparent cloths sachets that must preserve the memory through symbols, poems, postcards, and even ancient objects preserved by Zhao, souvenirs from the West and the East. forms, objects encountered, recognized and collected, witnesses to a ritual of celebration of the exceptional nature of the moment. The river dress lets time flow over itself and keeps some relics of the everyday, fragments of a poetic gesture that includes everyone. My installation is now part of the Zhao collection with that of Maria Jole Serreli. Furthermore, writing in Chinese has inherent beauty in itself and there were our biographies on the ceiling, like my dress, and it was nice to see each other. It was a creation, suspended in the void, a connection between artists and collection.
You also did a performance: what did it consist of?
Performance is an emotional occurrence and addressed to the public is a ritual of empathy with a message that had strongly poetic attributes. In fact we had created Maria Jole and I of the bracelets with some words written by me in Italian and in Chinese, as friendship and peace, and during the performance I put the bracelet on my wrist and sang the song by De Gregori "Stella stellina".
How was working with Hui Zhou Zhao?
With her there was a good dialogue right away. Ms. Zhao is interested in art and contamination with fashion and the interaction of languages. In fact, it has a collection of ancient objects that it has made available to carry out the installation. And the curator, Barbara Santoni, who has worked with the designer for years, has accompanied us step by step, with care and attention throughout the process.
Was it your first time in the East?
No, I have already done an exhibition in Tokyo in the gallery designed by the illustrious architect Tadao Ando and one in Iran, in Teheran, "Going Toward", with Saba Najafi, and always with her the performance "Nodi". Among the exotic destinations in the world is a UNESCO project in Burkina Faso. And "Interview" at the Museo de la Muerte of Aguascalientes in Mexico.
What did this exhibition represent for you?
It was an unprecedented experience for me. It was the conclusion of a residence-artistic stay with the purpose of meeting the local tradition and culture and including it in my work and what took place was the inaugural event of the museum, between the new collection of the designer and the collection of art of ancient objects.
Was the show successful?
Yes, there were a lot of people there. The public intervened was also made up of distinguished guests, including journalists, belonging to the art and fashion world, collectors, politicians and employees of the Company of Zhao.
What will your next show be?
I have just finished the paintings for the exhibition "Leonardo Da Vinci from Ancient to Modern", curated by Gian Ruggero Manzoni, which will be inaugurated on May 18 at the Scuderie del Castello di Vigevano. Meanwhile, some events continue in my space-atelier in Milan, "To Be Kind", also visited by the students of the Academy of Fine Arts.
M.G.