6–8 November 2015
Artissima Fair
Oval Lingotto Fiere
Turin
Presented for the first time in Italy as part of the In Mostra exhibition curated by Stefano Collicelli Cagol at Artissima, Caucacola consists of a cinematic installation and a sculpture conceived by Giorgio Cugno during his residency at Lugar a Dudas in Cali, Colombia in 2014 as part of the fourth edition of the RESÒ—International Network for Artist Residencies and Educational Programs, promoted and supported by The Foundation for Modern and Contemporary Art—CRT of Turin.
A recurring theme in the artist’s current work is the exploitation of raw materials such as gold and water. This becomes the narrative cue for considering issues such as geographic borders, global economic flows, the relationship between environmental change and human action, and the balance between labour and market. Using real contexts and situations, Cugno’s research reflects on environmental exploitation in relation to profit systems. As in the artist’s previous works—which never focus exclusively on the political or social dimensions—the flow of images and sounds in Caucacola breathes life into sequences of landscapes and stories, characterised by a surreal dimension. Seeking to raise questions regarding current issues, the artist’s work simultaneously introduces unknown poetic directions. Indeed the video images, like the sculpture that introduces them, develop in a sort of circular and opaque narrative in which, starting with Coca-Cola’s exploitation of water resources in Rio Cauca in Colombia, the artist suggests spaces of observation of other narratives and suspended landscapes. Caucacola is the result of a series of workshops held for young people and students coordinated by Giorgio Cugno during his residency in Cali.
At the Artissima fair, RESÒwill also present Working Geographies: RESÒInternational Art Exchange Residency Program (Mousse Publishing), a volume that documents the first four editions of the international residency Program, as well as the RESÒ travelling box, which captures the experiences of the artists involved. It is a veritable Fluxus Kit: a sort of archive of memories and trails in the form of a mystery box containing art objects, videos and artists’ multiples which is transformed, using the instruction booklet, into a travelling “do-it-yourself” museum, reassembled on each occasion. In “Let’s talk RESÒ,” the artists involved in the 2015 edition and RESÒ/LAB will present their research.
Talks calendar:
Launch of Working Geographies: RESÒ International Art Exchange Residency Program, edited by Mousse Publishing
Friday, November 6, 12.30am
Meeting point area
“Let’s talk” RESÒ 5 and RESÒ/LAB
Sunday, November 8, 6–8pm
ZonArte Area
RESÒ—International Network for Artist Residencies and Educational Programs is the result of the collective work of the curators and staff of nine contemporary art institutions operating in Piedmont. Between 2010 and today it has offered 20 artists the opportunity to expand their research in Italy, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt and India. The RESÒ platform consists of: Accademia Albertina delle Belle Arti di Torino; CESAC—Centro Sperimentale per le Arti Contemporanee, Caraglio; Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea; Cittadellarte—Fondazione Pistoletto Onlus, Biella; Città di Torino/GAI—Associazione Circuito Giovani Artisti Italiani, Eco e Narciso, Città Metropolitana di Torino; Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Torino; Fondazione Spinola Banna per l’Arte, Poirino; and PAV—Parco Arte Vivente, Torino. RESÒcollaborates with Capacete, Lugar a Dudas, Khoj International Artists’ Association, and Townhouse Gallery.