For the tenth year, the Institute of Italian Culture, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Italian Academy [2] offered the chance to emerging artists to win the “Premio New York,” [3]a prize that allows one to stay in New York City for four months and admire the different kind of art on display in the city.
The last edition was won by
Anna Franceschini [4]and
Francesco Arena [5], who will present some of their works at Columbia University’s Italian Academy on Tuesday, March 26 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. This presentation concludes their four-month experience in New York.
With this prize, the two young artists had the chance to develop their creative skills staying in contact with the eclectic and inspiring artistic environment of the city. They also participated in cultural events organized by the Italian Cultural Institute and the Italian Academy, and attended architecture, film and art history classes at Columbia University.
Anna Franceschini will present a collection of film and video works called “For in and out, above, about, below, 'Tis nothing but a Magic Shadow-Show, Act II.” These works will be accompanied by mechanical characters, climatic variations, glimpses of light and fleeting visions set on stage.
As a graduate from IULM University in Milan, living in Brussels, Franceschini's works connect places and objects with their history, individualities and functions. For this aspect, the observer needs to take some time to look at these moving images to comprehend the resonances, the traces of their functions and uses at their best.
Francesco Arena, on the other hand, will present “My Sunday in New York, 2012-2013,” a work composed of fifteen copies of the front page of the New York Times, manipulated to create and showcase the sentence “I would prefer not to,” made famous by Melville's “Bartleby, the Scrivener.” Besides this work of art, an actor will also perform “2,794,” in memory of the 2,794 victims of the attack on the Twin Towers. In this performance, the actor will repeat “9/11” 2,974 times, inviting the audience to reflect on the meaning of this overloaded phrase.
Arena, born near Brindisi, was shortlisted for the Premio Furla in Bologna. His works are inspired by political and economical events that have recently occurred. Therefore, he stresses controversies, facts and debates that may have been silenced for political reasons and turns them into metaphorical works of art.
