Paolo Chiasera Archivio Zarathustra

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1 PRESS RELEASE Prague /March 20, 2009/ After the succesful exhibition of the young painter Jakub Hosek, the Jiri Svestka Gallery continues with another young hope of the international art scene the Italian conceptual artist Paolo Chiasera (1978). Chiasera, living in Berlin, has several group and solo exhibitions on his account. In the Czech Republic he was presented for the first time at Futura Gallery at the exhibition Our personal vision in The most recent project of the Bologna artist Paolo Chiasera, which he has prepared for the Jiri Svestka Gallery, is entitled Archivio Zarathustra. It is based on the artist s private research of documents and thoughts about the most significant work and philosophic theory of Friedrich Nietzsche ( ) and work and reference to the German art historian and theorist Aby Warburg ( ). Chiasera made an archive of more than 40 sheets referring to the work of these two personalities, documented it and then burned it a few days ago in Frankfurt am Main. The installation, which Chiasera made of an iron construction and the left ash, is displayed at the Jiri Svestka Gallery together with a video from the happening in Frankfurt. Part of the exhbition are also photographs and sketches connected with works and thoughts of Warburg and Nietzsche. The back room of the gallery is dominated by an installation, the construction of which reminds of the burnt archive and is decorated with fresh flowers as a memento of life and death and their transitoriness and at the same time as a symbol of the interconnection of contemporary art practice and committed art. One form refers to the other and creates an emotional spiral. It s like the eternal return of the same, says Chiasera and refers to Nietzsche s philosophic approach. Topics for my work always come with a certain need to explain the ideas and development I do. In this case it was the search of life and work of these two significant personalities in art history and philosophy, in which I found several interesting parallels. Regarding their background, way of thinking or academic connection with the medical family of Biswanger, Chiasera continues. I have always been attracted to the search of how forms develop through cultural contents and how the process of this development represents the present and its final result, he adds. In his work, Chiasera generally deals with the transformation of ideas or cultural philosophy. He is interested in different current interpretations and expressions of both, myths as an individual and social obsession, as well as the relation between meditative and active spheres. Behind the concept of Chiasera's work always have been big thinkers as resources of his art practise and thinking. The author himself sees the biggest influence in the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Immanuel Kant and particularly Friedrich Nietzsche, who is simultaneously involved in his latest project at the Jiri Svestka Gallery. Paolo Chiasera belongs to the most significant young authors in contemporary art. And how does he perceive his social role? The artist has no role in today s world. He has nothing in common with today s society created by a mistaken idea of the state. Artists create only to survive, to escape from this boring world trying to damage conventions, thinks Chiasera.

2 Paolo Chiasera Archivio Zarathustra GALERIE JIŘÍ ŠVESTKA Biskupský dvůr 6, Praha 1 tel fax gallery@jirisvestka.com otevírací doba: ÚT - PÁ hod SO hod Pro více informací kontaktujte: Lucie Pavlásková lucie@pavlaskova.cz, tel

3 Paolo Chiasera / Archivio Zarathustra / Frankfurt Through my work I try to build a shape reflecting upon the processes undergone from significances in the contemporary culture. The process of signification gets through to different levels such as construction, deconstruction, reconstruction. My work presents itself to the audience as fragment and erosion of my cognitive process. In some way I build up ruins, as oblivion of my thought

4 Archivio Zarathustra / 2009, iron, wood, paper, c-print, drawings, 240 cm x 200 x 300 cm, Frankfurt, photo credits: Luca Fontana Archivio Zarathustra / 2009, DVD, PAL, 4/3, b/w, 24 46

5 Paolo Chiasera / Archivio Zarathustra / Prague Archivio Zarathustra / 2009, burned archive s iron, ash, 60 x 100 x 100 cm, Galerie Jiri Svestka, Prague

6 Archivio Zarathustra / 2009, DVD, PAL, 4/3, b/w, 24 46

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9 Archivio Zarathustra / 2009, 50 x 140 cm, Photo credits: Serge Domangie

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21 140 x 225 mm 150 pages Cover: Paperback, color, glossy finish Binding: glue bound Interior: black-and-white Edition limited to 250 numbered copies onestar press