Intimate Art Talk with Italian Ambassador Giorgio Guglielmino
In collaboration with the upcoming Art Fair Philippines happening this February 22 to 24, 2019, an intimate art talk was held with His Excellency, Italian Ambassador Giorgio Guglielmino last February 18, 2019, where he talked about some of the greatest artists and pieces in contemporary art.
Intimate Art Talk about Contemporary Art
Also read: 5 Things to Expect at the Art Fair Philippines 2019
As Art Fair Philippines brings you a deeper appreciation with art, Ambassador Guglielmino recommends people to view each piece especially contemporary works with total relaxation and with an open-mind where you just listen to your instincts to fully understand the works.
His Excellency, Italian Ambassador Giorgio Guglielmino
During the Intimate Art talk, Ambassador Guglielmino talked about some of his picks in art and explained each piece according to his own perspective.
For example, in Piero Della Francesca’s “Portrait of Federico da Montefeltro,” he mentioned that the work is a portrait of the artist himself portraying his one and the only good side as he lost his right eye.
Piero Della Francesca’s “Portrait of Federico da Montefeltro”
Another notable artwork he mentioned was Felix Gonzales Torres’ “Portrait of Ross.” It portrays a huge pile of candies in one corner. At first look, it seems to be a pretty normal art but what most people don’t know about this is that the artwork portrays Torres’ lover—Ross, and his battle with AIDS.
It is said that this artwork is interactive unlike others because they let you touch and even take a piece of candy on the pile. The reason? It represents Ross’ shrinking weight and how his disease took his life little by little, just like how people took candies one at a time.
Portrait of Ross / IMAGE The Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation
German Artist Joseph Beuys’ “Capri-Battery,” on the other hand, personifies the magic sparkle of art—that art makes you believe things that are not real. Just like how we know that the object is a light bulb even though the orange is replacing as the bulb.
Joseph Beuys’ “Capri-Battery”
Many people would’ve question art and contemporary pieces especially when the artwork is as simple as a lightbulb with an orange or a box like Joseph Beuys’ “Dumb Box.” But if you look closely, these items actually represent something.
The Dumb Box, for instance, represents a portrait of all of us. You want to know why?
The Dumb Box is made of copper and felt. Copper transmits energy fast while the felt blocks and protects the energy. Just like these scientific explanations, the Dumb Box is our portrait where people are torn between two forces: the idea of change (the copper) or the idea of remaining calm and protected (felt).
And that is what Ambassador Guglielmino wants people to remember, art may not be as complicated as others but as long as it connects to people or it has greater meaning, nothing else matters but the point of view of the artist and the perspective of the viewer.
Ambassador Guglielmino ends the talk with one of his favorite art quote from Oscar Wilde; “All Art is Quite Useless” and views it as “the most beautiful of the useless things.”
Visit Art Fair Philippines 2019 and witness an exhibit of some of the best of contemporary artworks locally and internationally. Art Fair Philippines 2019 is happening on February 22 to 24, 2019 at The Link Carpark in Makati.
Written by Denisse Tenorio
