Cabinet of Curiosities

curated by Marta Casati

Museo Civico di Rovereto

From 11 July to 29 September 2008

It was 1587 when Gabriel Kaltemarckt decided for Christian the First (I) of Sassony which were the top three priorities for the construction of a natural "kunstakammer"(broad concept close to the asburgical idea of wunderkammer): a different set of art pieces, from architecture to sculpture, a group of curious pieces, national and international, and a variable set of “horns, pincers, feathers and other parts of uncoventional and exotic animals”.

From this starting point, Cabinet of Curiosities takes its inspiration. This proposal, related to a broader sense, aiming at a stratification of medias and intentions, to be fully appreciated takes place in a Natural History Museum, particularly in all the areas where the rests and zoological manufacts are placed. The Zoology rooms of the Rovereto Civic Museum will host this event.

Maria Benjamin, Sema Bekirovic, Lorenza Boisi, Henry Coombes, Peter Donaldson, Andrea Dojimi, Davide Rivalta and Christian Schwarzwald are all artists who have different provenance and background, who work in different media and who are ambassadors of the most modern practices related to video, installation, design, sculpture, painting and photography. Marta Casati, project’s curator, has put them all together, according to an eclectic and heteroclitical approach, tying them by a particular attention for the Nature observation, for things essence and for the animal world as considered by the poetic, ironic, ritualistic and Romantic imaginary, aiming at the Latin Monstrum, “Gods’sign”, root of showing and warning, apotropic and persisting figure intent on educating didactically.

From the Middle Age where the emotion for the wonder will be given to the natural sciences and to the artificial manufacts of “famous Hoaxes” to the digital century where the chimeras build themselves with renewable technologies, willing to conciliate the phenomenologic observation of the paradoxe with the stimulation of the imaginary (to reach the “teratomania”). Mistification that tries to bilance with the desire of compenetration of the human being with the animal, according to antroporphism and zoomorphism principles, according to an ambiguous note that is disambiguous. Only in this way the measure of promiscuità signs and enriches through points of parity and points of difference, often as an added value in the juxtaposition.


The project is be chosen by Manifesta 7 between the Parallel Events.


Maria Benjamin was born in 1972 in Broxburn(Scotland), where she lives and works.

Sema Bekirovic was born in 1977 in Amsterdam (Holland), where she lives and works.

Lorenza Boisi was born in 1972 in Milan (Italy), where she lives and works.

Henry Coombes was born in 1977 in London (United Kingdom), he lives and works in Glasgow.

Peter Donaldson was born in 1980 in Edimburg (Scotland), he lives and works between Tokyo and London.

Andrea Dojimi was born in 1973 in Rome (Italy), where he lives and works.

Davide Rivalta was born in 1974 in Bologna (Italy), where he lives and works.

Christian Schwarzwald was born in 1971 a Salzburg (Austria), where he lives and works.

EVENT SCHEDULE

PROJECT TITLE:
CABINET OF CURIOSITIES
PROPOSER SUBJECT:
Museo Civico di Rovereto
CURATOR:
MARTA CASATI
ARTISTS:
MARIA BENJAMIN - SEMA BEKIRIVIC - LORENZA BOISI – HENRY COOMBES - ANDREA DOJMI - PETER DONALDSON - DAVIDE RIVALTA - CHRISTIAN SCHWARZWALD
WHERE:
MUSEO CIVICO DI ROVERETO
ADDRESS, TEL. FAX, EMAIL, WEB:
Borgo S. Caterina 34, Rovereto -TN-
Tel.:+39/04644 39055-Fax: +39/0464 439487 email:museo@museocivico.rovereto.it
website: www.museocivico.rovereto.tn.it
CREDITS:
Promovisione - www.promovisione.it
CATALOG:
Texts by Franco Finotti (Museo Civico di Rovereto dierector), Marta Casati (exhibition’s curator) and Duccio Canestrini (Antropology Professor)
PERIOD/ EVENT’S DATE:
11.07.08 - 27.09.08
VERNISSAGE DATE AND TIMETABLE:
Press conference: Friday 11th July 2008 at 11.30 a.m.
Public vernissage: Friday 11th July 2008 at 5 p.m.
TiCKET:
1,50 euro (special price in occaion of Manifesta7)
Info ticket office: Tel. +39 / 0464 439055
e-mail: biglietteria@museocivico.rovereto.tn.it
TIMETABLE:
Open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., close on Monday (the Museum and the exhibition are open also every Friday and Sunday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.)