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i.ovo Journal

Nardini editore

eng

NR. 000

ARIA art gallery is the prestigious location of

art exposition born as a philosophical exten-

sion of the ESE. The gallery, located just a few

steps from Ponte Vecchio, is highly dynamic

thanks to it’s young team; events, vernissa-

ges and high quality live performances take

place surrounded by works of well known or

emerging artists, while exotic trees in the an-

cient garden guard contemporary sculptures.

Borgo SS Apostoli, 40r / Firenze tel: 055 216150 - fax: 055 4641406 /

ORARI Lunedì - Sabato: 10:30 / 13:30 - 15:30 / 19:30 / Domenica: su appuntamento

e - m a i l : i n f o @ a r i a a r t g a l l e r y . c o m / w w w . a r i a a r t g a l l e r y . c o m

A Global Stage for Florence’s Contemporary Art Scene

The Opera: the Soul of Italy

Beyond Parks:

Other Greens in Florence

Director and curator: Massimo Tonietti m.tonietti@iovo.it cell. +39 327 5303110;Directeur responsable: Marco Zucchini;Chief editor:

Serena Bedini serena-bedini@libero.it;Web master: Andrea Angeloni;Reviewers (F.U.A. - Florence University of the Arts students):

Jamie BacharWallis Back Jason BisnoffArthur KozlovskiKelsey KuszmaulAmy TanzilloHannah Weiss

Secret Gardens

in Florence

S E N T O R I D ’ O R I E N T E

GALLERIA DEL TEATRO ROMANO

Città di Fiesole

supplemento a i.ovo Arte e Cultura Contemporanea n°012 APRILE 2012

aut. trib. n. 5825 del 15/03/2011. Editore incaricato Nardini Press srl.

Stampa Nuova Grafica FiorentinaSpecial thanks to

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This is especially true right now, as the contemporary art scene in Florence has taken some sur-prising turns since the New Year. Florence’s contemporary art scene as a whole is renew-ing itself, globalizing by featuring groundbreaking work created by artist-innovators from within and without Tuscany.

A Global Stage for Florence’s

Contemporary Art Scene

ART ON STAGe

Florence’s platforms for contemporary art, while regretta

bly (or

not) overlooked by tourist crowds, are among the most exhilarating

resources the city has to offer. It goes without saying that contempo-

rary art in Florence, and truly, throughout Italy, typically has a dy-

namic if troubled relationship with its classical and Renaissance

heritage. It is often this heritage, in fact, that fuels the contem-

porary art coming out of Italy, a

s current artists struggle to eith

er

accept or refute the overbearing weight of their renowned artistic

forefathers. Recently, however, a marked change is stirring within

Florence’s contemporary art scene. While the omnipresent battle

with Italy’s artistic past is unlikely to disappear anytime soon, Italian

artists are exploring newer relationships within the art world – or

rather, the world of art, outside of the Italian peninsula.

F_AIR - via San Gallo n45/r

eX3 - Viale Giannotti n 81/83/85

Strozzina - Piazza degli Strozzi, 1

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Alessandra Ragianieri, F_AIR Gallery

for The Floor Show, 2012, photo by Amy

Berray

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As has been the case throughout the last two or more decades, the overall outlook of the art community has become increasingly comprehensive. This visionary expansion is indeed occurring in Florence, as artists and curators alike di-rect their gazes outside the city. Several exhibits otherwise distinct from each other share this sweeping quality: The Floor Show, curated by Lucia Giardino at the F_AIR Gallery, and voglio soltanto essere amato, a multimedia art platform (MAP) project assembled by a legion of artists and curators at EX3 Centro per Arte Contemporanea. A sense of democracy forms a cornerstone for these exhibits.

Works by artists such as the Kinkaleri in The Floor Show were realized in cities throughout Western Europe; location was a key concept in Kinkaleri’s work, but the premise that they take footage in various locations was equally as essential to their vision. The contributors to voglio soltanto essere amato hail from around the world and their pieces are presented in various languages and media, yet as the title of the show suggests, the universal characteristic of the show is paramount. The American Dreamers exhibit at CCC Stro-zzina is composed of pieces by Ameri-can artists. Its dialogue with Palazzo Strozzi’s Americans in Florence solidi-fies the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi’s overseas interests.

Similarly, all aforementioned exhibits showcase works in various media that illustrating a widening understanding of what constitutes “art.” Would Nick Cave’s soundsuits, exhibited in American Dreamers, have had a place in the average Florentine gallery or museum until now? It is unlikely. And yet these exhibitions feature countless works like Cave’s that toe the line between art and craft, performance, poetry, and so on. The relationship between exhibits like The Floor Show, voglio soltan-to essere amato, and American Dreamers grows more formidable when one considers their preoccupation with social concepts: democratization of artistic creation and viewership, love, the dream of a population.

Amy Tanzillo

055 0119977

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International Contemporary Art Gallery in FlorenceOriginal Collections and Limited Art Prints

via dei Serragli, 56r/58r50124 - Firenze (Italy)tel.: +39 055 2645767email: staff@wepresentart.com

wepresentart.comThe web Art community

JOIN US --- PROMOTE YOUR ART

pag 7

Beyond the emblematic Florentine gardens of Boboli, the city offers sev-eral, lesser-known gardens for lovers of green nature.

The 10-acre Bardini garden for example is attached to the Boboli gardens and can be visited for free with a purchase of a cumula-tive ticket for Boboli. This breathtaking view overlooks the Florence skyline. The Mozzi pal-ace occupied the area in the 13th century and was enlargened in the 17th century and again in the 19th century. After long neglect and a five-year restoration, the garden was replenished with typical Tuscan plants. The extensive project’s aim was to preserve the traditional Tuscan architectural and land-scape design. Bardini is full of exciting and unexpected elements such as a large ba-roque stairway, six fountains with mosaics, hidden statues, fountains, grottoes, and a small theatre. The fauna is also incred-ible, with roses bordering the fountains, sweeping oak and cypress trees, azaleas and many other flowers. There is also a more agricultural part of this garden that is full of fruit trees, wisteria, and hydrangeas. The garden’s richness defi-nitely makes the trip worthwhile.

Secret Gardens in Florence

SeCReT GARDeNS

taxi 0554390

Credits and courtesy Elisabetta Giuliani

pag 8

giardino delle rose

Poggi was re-sponsible for the re-nowned Piazzale Michel-angelo and both the Iris and Rose Gardens that were placed on opposite sides of the monument. The Iris Garden is full of 2500 types of the Florentine lily, which is the symbol of Flor-ence since 1251. Each year there is also a very exciting international competition with thou-sands of gardeners and many visitors from around the world come

to view the sight. Come here to see the exquisite shades of thousands of different colored irises. Next, the Rose Garden, “il giardino delle rose”. This garden, with its exceptional view, offers a collection of ancient roses and also a wide variety of plants, some be-

Two extraordinary gardens can

only be seen in May as it is the

only blooming month of iris

and roses. The Gardens were

created in 1865 when Flor-

ence was named the new Ital-

ian capital city.

The famous architect Giuseppe

Poggi was asked to renew the

town and expand the city by

planning new landmarks on

the left bank of the river Arno.

Cre

dits

and

cou

rtes

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olfi

pag 9

ing extremely unusual in Florence, such as the water lily. A recent addition includes a Japanese garden that was given by Kodaiji Temple in Kyoto to the town of Florence. The two gardens are completed by the fact that you will see the whole panoramic or the city while visiting them

The Cascine Park is the largest park in the city of Florence set on more than 118 hectares. This park is extremely well known and houses many events, exhibitions, and markets throughout the year. This park is somewhat narrow and is a long strip of land that is set between the Arno and Mugnone Riv-ers. This immense agricultural estate rich with vegetation was once the property of the de’ Medici family. It was used for hunting game and breeding bovine animals.

Some of the most rare species of plants and fruits were cultivated here. In the last decade of the 18th until the 19th century, Cascine was expanded and embellished with new areas such as boulevards, squares and avenues. Today, you can also see a series of neo-clas-sical monuments and deco-rative benches and archi-tectural models such as the most celebrated fountain, the Fonte di Narciso.

The fields create a fa-vorite place for Florentines to have walks, picnics, and just enjoy fresh air. It is also a great place for families with young children, couples, and athletes such as joggers and bikers. During the summer, you can buy a twenty-five minute horse and cart ride throughout the park. On Tuesdays, near the Via Della Catena area, you can attend a weekly market that sells a variety of goods including clothing, fruits and vegetables.

Hannah Weiss

Cascine 14 avril 2012Photo by Hannah Hassinger

pag 10

The lights dim and the orchestra begins to play. Everyone in the theater falls silent as the curtains roll back to show a beautiful church backdrop and hear a deep voice begin to sing. This is Tosca, the Italian opera by Giacomo Puccini about love, jealously, murder, and political intrigue. Nothing feels more Italian that going to see an opera here in Florence, because of its beauty, culture, and tradition.

Another famous opera house in Florence is the Teatro Comu-nale di Firenze or also known at Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, which was originally opened as an open amphitheater in 1862 with a productions of Donzetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Soon the theatre became the focus of cultural life in the city. In 1930 the building was

The Opera: the Soul of Italy

Italy and Florence have a long history

of operas since the 1600s and contin-

ues to play a dominant role for op-

eras all over the world. The very first

opera was performed in 1600 at the

wedding of Henry IV of France and

Marie de Medici at the Pitti Palace

in Florence. Soon opera spread all

over Italy and eventually all over the

world. Florence houses some of the

oldest opera houses in the country.

Il Teatro della Pergola for instance

was built in 1656 under the pa-

tronage of the Medici family and it

wasn’t till 1718 that it was opened

to the public. Mozart’s music was

heard for the first time in Italy

in this theatre. By the nineteenth

century, La Pergola was perform-

ing operas of the best known composers of

the day like Bellini and Donizetti.

TeATRO COmuNAle FIReNze - CORSO ITAlIA, 16TONIGhT

pag 11

taken over by the city and officially renamed Teatro Comunale. During the Second World War the building was damaged by bombings. In May 1961 the theatre was modernized and became the theatre it is today, seating 2,000 people in an ellipti-cally shaped auditorium consisting of a large orchestra section. The the-atre also houses the annual Maggio Musicale Florentino, a music festival which begun in 1931. Due to the festival, the theatre changed its name to Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino as it remains.

Going to the opera is an important part of im-mersing oneself in the Italian culture. Since Ita-ly contributed to the diffusion of opera over the world, seeing an opera is as important as the ever-popular Italian cuisine or visiting the Vatican. Go-ing to see an opera not only enhances the viewer’s grasp on a certain culture but it will also help to understand and appreciate the musical poetry of the Italian language.

Culture is not something that anyone can acquire by merely visiting a place; it is rather absorbed through experiences. For international students, going to the

Opera may seem difficult due to the performances being completely in Italian. However, once there it is easy to understand why opera has lasted as many years as it has. The music is beautiful, the costumes are wonderful, and the over all experience is one to remember. The sheer emotion and movement of the music and the actors help a non-Italian understand the complicated plot. It doesn’t matter what language anyone speaks, Tosca allows ev-eryone to embrace it and weep in the tragedy. Everyone should experience the culture of Italy by seeing an authentic Italian opera. It is so easy to snap a picture of a church or to buy an Italia tee-shirt, but to experience an opera that has been around for over 100 years or more gives the soul a more significant of taste of Italy. Jamie Bachar

TeATRO COmuNAle FIReNze - CORSO ITAlIA, 16

Venturino Venturi

free entrance: Monday-Saturday from 3.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.on Sunday by appointment.

GALLERIA DEL TEATRO ROMANOCittà di Fiesole

Via Portigiani 34-36 Città di Fiesole (FI) Tel/Fax+39 055-599626+39 328 6355360 www.galleriadelteatroromano.com info@galleriadelteatroromano.com

Monica Giarrè

Venturino Venturo’s works are pervaded by a sense of mystery and great spirituality.

Monica Giarrè idealizes with bright colors the vitality of the female universe and expresses the sensuality of woman through an analisys with significant symbolic elements.

Ga

llery

Art

ists

pag 13

On my travels within Florence, I’ve seen a surpris-ingly small amount of green compared to that of my hometwon where there are fields of grass that cover the landscape for miles.

Spinach, broccoli, basil, pesto- fresh and bright shades of green that instantly make my stomach growl in anticipation of my fork reaching my lips to finally get my

Beyond Parks: Other Greens in Florence

eNjOy IT

And, as green is one of my favou-

rite colors, I certainly have my

eyes peeled looking for the prettiest

shades I can find no matter where I

am. Though not as abundant, these

pleasing green hues do show up in

a few familiar places in Florence:

on plants and flowers in outdoor

markets, on various street signs, in

the bright neon of the pharmacies,

in the green stripe of the Italian

flag, and in the dark green mar-

ble of the Duomo. However, the

most green that I’ve seen (and

incidentally, my favorite kind

of Florentine green) has been in

my food.PhOTO By hANNAh hASSINGeR

pag 14

delicious dish down into my stomach. The sight of the beautiful greens on my plate sadly doesn’t last as long as my eyes would like because my stomach simply won’t let the food sit pretty for too long. Though this was a pre-existing problem, I have to say that Italy’s greenery makes it even harder for my belly to resist.

Though the quantity of green compared to home may be different, the kind of green is very similar. The lush green of nature. Fresh veggies and herbs in Florence bring me the same kind of green that my more plentiful tints in the grass, corn stalks and flowers of my lawn do on my street.

So, in the end, this type of Italian

“verde” seems to bring me a little bit

closer to home. The fresh basil that is on

my plate in Tuscany could remind me of

the stem of my favorite flower picked es-

pecially for me out of my grandfather’s

garden. Or the multiple shades of green

in my pesto might make me think of

the different tones of green on a crisp

cornstalk freshly plucked from my gar-

den. These naturalistic colors of Florence

connect continents, countries, and cities

from across a very large blue pond right

into my own backyard.

Kelsey Kuszmaul

green

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