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I don’t know what possessed me, exactly, but a recent whirlwind tour of art museums may have been triggered by the simple purchase of a 3 day, Torino+Piedmonte card. It is a promotional gimmick that offers “free” entry to more museums than you can possibly see in 36 hours, free public transport, and discounts on everything from the opera to river rafting. We North Americans like we have to get our money’s worth.
Turin is blessed with several collections of modern art that are dispersed around the city in some interesting buildings. The GAM was first on my list, since it is within walking distance of where we live. Its official name is the Galleria Civica d’arte Moderna e Contemporanea. It holds an extensive collection of art ranging from the late 18th C up to the present day. There were two ongoing exhibits, one on the designer, Enzo Mari, another on concepts of time and photography. Good for an afternoon.
To get to Castello di Rivoli by public transportation, you have to take the subway to the end of the line and then figure out where to take the connecting bus. The museum is located 17 km west of the city at the head of the Susa Valley.
Begun as one of the Savoy family’s residences, it suffered a series of major setbacks through its long history. Fortunately, it was rescued, imaginatively restored and re-opened in 1984. It is a stunning setting for an excellent collection.
I made it back to the city in time for a tour of the luminous art installations currently on view in Turin, Luci d’art. The guide spoke French as well as Italian, but he naturally favored his Italian audience. A Belgian family and I got an abbreviated repetition at the end of each monologue.
On Sunday I managed to squeeze in yet another exhibition at the light-filled, but warehouse-shaped building called Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. Most of the works were by Paul Chan, a Hong Kong based artist. Then I hoofed it over to the old Fiat factory. The Pinacoteca of Giovanni Agnelli is unique, perched like a Frank Lloyd Wright structure on top of the factory (now converted into a very popular shopping mall that is packed on Sundays). Nearby is the “Bolla,” an ultramodern conference hall that looks ready to take off.
Surrounded by the rooftop test track, Agnelli’s elegant Scrigno (casket) holds a small number of paintings from his personal collection—Matisses, Canalletoes and a very nice Modigliani, in addition to traveling exhibits.
Too much art in too few days. Basta! I have a headache already and I haven’t visited a single palace, church or the famous shroud. Ciao for now.
After the exceedingly hot temps last Sunday (that we cyclists could have done without, thank you), it has turned chilly again. Today, the estimate is from 10 to 18 Celsius, or between 50 and 64 F. I have no idea what it was last night when I hopped the tram down to Federation Square, but it was damn cold. I expected to see a crowd in the thousands for a free Arts Festival event . Instead, maybe a hundred shivering souls showed up.
The event was called “Sphere of Influence.” The pictures convey the aesthetic of the globe, but they don’t really capture the accompanying sounds, all of which were live and quite bizarre, even scary at times. Or the text and images flashed on the huge video display overhead. The artist’s name is Jon Rose. The overriding message seemed to be “there is no free lunch.”
Melbourne loves festivals, even more than Montreal. The Fringe Festival just ended. The Melbourne International Arts Festival is in full swing. Merce Cunningham is here with his dance company. Laurie Anderson performed a specially commissioned work called “Homeland.” Peter Brook is directing an Athol Fugard play.
Attracted to familiar names, I bought tickets to a Canadian production of a play by John Mighton called “Half Life” and a new work by the Japanese Butoh group, Sankai Juku. I had never seen a Mighton play before, but had always liked the production company, Necessary Angel. I had vague, but favorable memories of a performance of Sankai Juku years ago in Los Angeles, probably soon after the company was founded 32 years ago.
The play was well written and very well executed, but its exploration of old age seemed self indulgent and pedestrian. Unfortunately, my wife was heading off the continent the night of Sankai Juku. I talked my teenage daughter into going, thinking the costumes would enchant her.
The dance was called Kagemi, beyond the Metaphors of Mirrors. It was slow and abstract. Compelling if you love the marvelous invention of choreography and the talent of the dancers. But there was no intermission. No chance for my daughter to escape.
Last night’s performance was done for free in Federation Square. No one was trapped. Some people strolled through the performance space apparently oblivious to the art in progress. Some drifted off into the night. I was enchanted with the idea of the fabric globe but the execution of the piece seemed repetitive and less than inspired.
I was home in time to catch the new series on The Australian Broadcasting Corporation called “Not Quite Art.” The host is charming and very enthusiastic about all those activities that fall outside the scope of galleries and museums. Last night’s show was about graffiti, which attracts Japanese tourists to Melbourne in droves.
I haven’t given up. Call me a fool for art. There is the circus and La Clique, in the Famous Speigeltent. Stay tuned.
