PRESS RELEASE
Bologna, June 23th 2014
FRONTIER
La linea dello stile / The line of style
Curated by Fabiola Naldi e Claudio Musso
A project by Comune di Bologna
Organized by Cultural Association ALL WRITE
Bologna, July/August/September 2014
Frontier – The line of style is a project promoted by the City of Bologna, in collaboration with
Regione Emilia-Romagna, to enhance the two disciplines of Writing and Street Art through a
deep reflection about these two forms, internationally recognized as some of the most
interesting expressions into the contemporary art world.
The project, curated by Claudio Musso e Fabiola Naldi (art critic and art historian), is ideally
and historically connected to the show “Arte di Frontiera. New York Graffiti”, organized in 1984
at the Modern Art Gallery of Bologna. The most important figures of New York Graffiti-Art took
part at this show and later they became very famous artist as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith
Haring and Kenny Scharf.
Through Frontier, the city of Bologna aims to underline and relaunch its rule as centre of
esthetical production and reflection around an artistic phenomenon that had left in the city
great marks both in Writing and Street Art.
This year FRONTIER continues an important historical and artistic path to expand the number
of works, following a criterion that aims to highlight the innovative stylistic components of the
evolution of the Writing and Street Art.
The curatorial intention operates in outdoor facades, buildings and sites located in the central
and peripheral urban areas characterized by a dynamic tension.
Public spaces and shared territories in which the artistic action tries to place a substantial
change as an element of attraction and renewal of perception.
The phase of artistic development plans, in July, August and September, the presence of italian
and foreign artists who will work to create large-scale architectural and visual site-specific
works. The areas identified by the curators are divided into two sections: Walls, Boxes.
The artists invited this year belong to the last two generations that, especially in Europe, have
dictated the development of codes in Writing and Street Art. After drawing a line in 2012 that,
from the first american experiments came to the latest trends, in 2014 the analysis is focused
on some elements of change that featured the research of artists such as the french Lokiss, the
american Poesia, the polish Seikon, the italians Rae Martini and Peeta and the spanish Nuria
Mora.
in 2012 the choice of style and authors relied on those who had changed the two disciplines
applying in the territory of a concrete representation and structured; in 2014 the choices were
concentrated on the opposite side. This year the curators have decided to turn their
attention to the artistic pursuits that tend to abstraction: starting from the essential element
of the Letter for Writing, writers work for decomposition, explosion, deflagration leading to a
representation of pure sign or pure color based on an informal nature. For Street Art two
important solutions are here deep represented: experiences tend to abstract matrix more rigid,
cold, geometric or open shapes and warm colors and examples through expanded
configuration that reach the dream and the imaginative scene.
The phase dedicated to deep the stilistic story of the artists is called Voices: witnesses and
protagonists of the urban underground will meet the public in a series of events that will
accompany the implementation of the works. For this reason the Conference Hall of the Mambo
will create a real "verbal contest" where artists will talk not only about their work, but also about
their own vision on the international scene.
FRONTIER Walls
The section Walls, made with the cooperation of the Districts, is dedicated to the facades of
large size building located in the urban area and includes three city-owned buildings under
management to Acer and a wall of a school building.
From June 30th to July 4th on the facade of Primary Schools Gualandi (in via Beroaldo n. 2 District San Donato) will operate Peeta, one of the most important italian artist recognized in
the international scene of Writing, interested in the sculptural quality of the individual letters.
Through the breaking of the typographical form and standardized he creates shapes and
volumes reflecting the fluidity of the urban landscape.
From July 23th to 30th in via Aprile XXI 1945 n. 38 (District Saragozza) will operate Poesia, an
american artist who drew the Writing (and painting) the essential elements of his research:
gesture, sign, color. His works are characterized by an analysis of the painting in which
improvisation plays a fundamental role and the construction of the letter leaves room for signs
of nebulae and glazes of color. He is also the founder of the popular blog Graffuturism
(following decades of progression and regression) through which recounts the evolution of
graffiti culture.
From July 27th to August 2nd Seikon will work in via Scipione dal Ferro (District San Vitale): he
stands at the border between graphic design and painting who graduated at the Academy of
Fine Arts in Gdansk. Active in the art world and the public space since 1999, over the years his
style has evolved in the creation of unique geometric patterns that transform the areas
concerned.
Particularly crucial in the selection of this wall, on the opposite side of the same housing
complex, is the Luigi Veronesi’s intervention, author of the undisputed Italian abstract scene
since the thirties of the last century.
From August 1st to 7th Nuria Mora, one of the most important female voices of the
international Street Art, will work in via Gianni Palmieri (District San Vitale). Her artistic intention
is a dialogical interaction with the wall surface, a continuous exchange with the city. Her open
shapes and her delicate colors work against saturation and overload of signs often present on
the urban territory.
FRONTIER Boxes
In 2014 FRONTIER intends to diversify the areas where the artists will work, just like it happens
naturally in the streets. It was decided, in collaboration with the Hera Group, to use the two
buildings located in Largo Caduti del Lavoro which are placed at the entrance of the
Manufacture of Arts, an area which is undergoing a process of re-training and re-evaluation.
From july 7th to 17th will be present the French artist Lokiss, one of the prominent members of
the first wave of European Writing in the second half of the '80s. His style has always been
characterized by a writing decomposed and represantions much influenced by some members
of the Orphic Cubism (Delaunay, Kupka).
Always from july 7th to 17th will intervene Rae Martini, one of the most important Italian writer
actually present in public and private collections. His activity reached great popularity in the
nineties with an original investigation of the Lettering. He combines the action of the writer, the
painting research on canvas and the profession of aircraft technician: his style is a blend of
various elements in which his use of color and the technical virtuosity applied to different
materials.
FRONTIER Voices
Witnesses and protagonists of the urban underground meet the public at the Mambo – Museum
of Modern Art .
Free admission
> July 10th, 6.30 p.m. – Conference Hall MAMbo: Rae Martini
> July 17th, 6.30 p.m. – Conference Hall MAMbo: Lokiss
> July 19th, 6.30 p.m. – Conference Hall MAMbo: Henry Chalfant
> July 19th, 10 p.m. - Giardini del Cavaticcio:
Style Wars, a film by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant (USA/1983, 70’).
> July 24th, 6.30 p.m. – Conference Hall MAMbo: Poesia
FRONTIER – The line of style is a project promoted and coordinated by the City of Bologna –
Department of Culture and Youth in collaboration with the Housing Department and the
Districts of Navile, Porto, San Donato, San Vitale, Saragozza.
Curated by
Claudio Musso and Fabiola Naldi
Realized by the Cultural Association ALL WRITE
Organizational manager Dado (Alessandro Ferri)
With the support of
Regione Emilia-Romagna
In collaboration with
ACER - Azienda Casa Emilia-Romagna della Provincia di Bologna
MAMbo – Museum of Modern Art of Bologna
Urban Center Bologna
The project is realized thanks to the support and collaboration of
Mare Termale Bolognese
Gruppo Venpa 3
CoopCostruzioni
Hotel I Portici
ColorIs
FRONTIER Boxes in collaboration with
Gruppo Hera
media partner
Social Factor
MDA – Manifattura delle Arti
www.flashvideo.it
Informations:
www.frontier.bo.it
frontier.bo@gmail.com
info@frontier.bo.it
Press
Municipality of Bologna – Press Office
Raffaella Grimaudo 051 2194664
Frontier – The line of style
frontier.bo@gmail.com