ENG - Riccardo Arena

PORTFOLIO 2016
www.riccardoarena.org
arenarama@gmail.com
+39 338 2758534
C.V.
Riccardo Arena, born 1979, Milan, currenly lives and works in Milan.
2005 MADE IN ITALY, Harrods, London, U.K.
Education
2004 Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fine Art Brera Accademy of Arts, Milan
2000 National Diploma in Art and Design Desio Art School, Milan
Selected Film/Video Screening
2013 ATHENS VIDEO ART FESTIVAL, Athene, GREECE
2011 FLOATING SPACES | ART FILMS SCREENINGS PROGRAM Teatro Paravento, Locarno, SWITZERLAND
2011 LES URBAINES FESTIVAL, Espace Arlaud, Le Bourg, Lausanne, SWITZERLAND
2010 ON.FOCUS RICCARDO ARENA, Palais De Glace, Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
2010 ARTE VIDEO ROMA FESTIVAL FINAL TOUR, MLAC, Sapienza Università di Roma, ITALY
2010 RETOUR DE FIAV.09, vidéo primées au FIAV.09, Esca/Ppcm, Nimes, FRANCE
2009 THE MOBILE ARCHIVE, Stacion - Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina, Republic of KOSOVA
2009 INVIDEO 2009 SENZA META. NO DESTINATION, Spazio Oberdan, Milano, ITALY
2009 VIDEOHOLICA, Archeology museum, Varna, BULGARY
2009LAGO FILM FEST, Revine Lago, Treviso, ITALY
2009 CROSS TALK, Gödör Klub, Budapest, HUNGARY
2008 VIDEOART YEARBOOK 2008, Complesso di S.ta Cristina, Bologna, ITALY
2008 FIAV.08 , Ecole des Beaux arts d’Alger, Algiers, TUNIS
2008 EXPANDED UNREAL, Spazio Museo“ Luigi Mari “, Tolentino, ITALY
2008 BLANK SCREEN, Rising Mutiny, Napoli, ITALY
2006 THE GAZE, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, U.K.
2004 VARIAZIONI, Hoepli Planetarium of Milan, ITALY
2004 I.G.A.C.R. Arengario of Milan, Milan, ITALY
2003 SONICITY, Corviale, Rome, ITALY
2003 TIMELINE, Theatre Piccolo of Milan, ITALY
Solo Exhibitions and two person exhibitions
2015 VAVILON - Viafarini, Milan, ITALY
2011 MUERTE DUAL ELLERO, Galeria Wussmann, Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
54th Venice Biennial - Padigione Italia nel Mondo
2009 IL QUATTRO VOLTE ALBERO, Mayr3 - Allegra Ravizza Art Project, Milan, ITALY
2008 FOUR TIMES A TREE, 1918ArtSpace, Shanghai, CHINA
2007 THE MILLS OF GOD GRIND SLOWLY, Knap Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2005 ATRIUM PROJECT, Not Gallery, Napoli, ITALY
2005 IL GUARDIANO, AKA Gallery, Rome, ITALY
Selected Group Exhibitions
2016 MAXXI PRIZE, Maxxi Museum, Rome, ITALY (Upcoming)
2016 QUADRIENNALE D’ARTE, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome, ITALY (Upcoming)
2015 THE MAN WHO SAT ON HIMSELF, Fondazione Sandretto Re-Rebaudengo, Turin, ITALY
2015 GROWING ROOTS, Premio Furla, Palazzo Reale, Milan, ITALY
2014 SCENARIO DI TERRA, MART, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto
2014 BELVEDERE, MAGA, Gallarate Museum of Contemporary Art , ITALY
2014 “HOW EARLY MEN BELIEVED THAT ALL … ”, Ammirato Culture House, Lecce, ITALY
2013 ARIMORTIS, Museo del Novecento, Milan, ITALY
2013 IL GIARDINO DEI SENTIERI…., OCT Contemporary Art Terminal Shanghai, CHINA
2013 ATHENS VIDEO ART FESTIVAL, Athene, GREECE
2012 LONG PLAY, XXIV ed. del Premio Nazionale Arti Visive MAGA, Gallarate, ITALY
2010 NATURAL BEHAVIOUR , OpenLab, Genova, ITALY
2010 ROLLI DAYS, Palazzo Francesco Maria Balbi, Genova, ITALY
2010 MAGIC OF BEING, 1918ArtSpace, Shanghai, CHINA
2010 ITALIAN CONTAINER, Armenia Center for Experimental Art, ARMENIA
2009 UN MONDO FANTASTICO, Barchessa diCa’Amata, Castefranco, ITALY
2009 PETROLIO, Pocko-Gallery, ITALY
2008 SQUARING THE CIRCLE, Allegra Ravizza Art Project, Milan, ITALY
2008 THE DIGITAL VIEW 6.20, Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam, NL
2007 BELLAVITA, Barbershop Gallery, Los Angeles, U.S.A
2007 PROGETTOGGETTO, Palazzo Bracciolini delle Api, Pistoia, ITALY
2007 RE-ENACTED PAINTING, Viafarini, Milan, ITALY
2007 URBAN INVESTIGATION, Island6 Arts Center, Shanghai, CHINA
2006 MAKING SPACE, Spital Square Center, London, U.K.
2006 GROTTO, Studio 1.1, London U.K
2006 DISSERTARE/ DISERTARE, Center of Contemporary Art, Genazzano, ITALY
2005 NAPOLI PRESENTE, PAN Museum of Contemporary Art, Naples, ITALY
2005 ART OF ITALIAN DESIGN, Foundation of Megaron Plus, Athens, GREECE
2005 ONE LAB, Not Gallery, Neaples, ITALY
Workshop - Residencies
2015 IN FAVOUR OF A TOTAL ECLIPSE, Fiorucci Art Trust, Stromboli, ITALY
2015 VIR, Viafarini Residency, Milan, ITALY
2015 2014 DENSI DIALOGHI, Ammirato Culture House, Lecce, ITALY
2011 Invited Artist for the Workshop in Venice during the 54th Venice Biennial
2007 MEDIATERRAE VOL.1, Alta Irpinia, ITALY
Art Fair
2010 TAIPEI 2010 Taipei, CHINA, 1918 ArtSPACE
2008 SHANGHAI ART FAIR 12TH EDITION, Shanghai, CHINA, 1918 ArtSPACE
2008 ROMA- THE ROAD TO CONTEMPORARY ART, Rome, ITALY, Manart, 2008
2007 MI-ART FieraMilanocity, Milan, ITALY, NotGallery 2007
2006 MI-ART FieraMilanocity, Milan, ITALY, NotGallery
2006 ARTEFIERA Bologna, ITALY, NotGallery
Grant & Prize
2016 MAXXI PRIZE, Maxxi Museum, Rome, ITALY (Finalist)
2011 LONG PLAY - XXIV edizione del Premio Nazionale Arti Visive, MAGA, Museo Arte Gallarate, ITALY
2006 MANUALMENTE | 1ST. PRIZE Villa Panza, Varese, ITALY
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ARTIST STATEMENT
In my work I develop a creative process founded on the accumulation, collation and study
of diverse documents, which, in the process of assemblage, come to reveal accidental and
unforeseen potentialities. These potentialities become in themselves active agents in the
imagining of new, circumstantial paths of association that evolve independently from the
original inspirational impulse.
The constant movement between the intuitive gathering of study materials and their internal
reconfiguration through the intuitive act is condensed into narrative structures that become
the fundamental principle of the work: collage, films, drawings, archive objects, texts and
animations, are all orchestrated into a visual constellation in mutual dialogue, becoming a
vehicle for multiple references and interpretations.
Over the past few years, I have dedicated myself to the creation of independent projects in
different Countries, the timing and content of which are suggested through the events that
arise during the investigation.
His most recent personal exhibitions include: VAVILON, Viafarini, Milan (2015), MUERTE DUAL
ELLERO, 54th Venice Biennial - Padigione Italia nel Mondo, Galeria Wussmann, Buenos Aires
(2011); IL QUATTRO VOLTE ALBERO, Mayr3 - Allegra Ravizza Art Project, Milan, (2009); FOUR
TIMES A TREE, 1918ArtSpace, Shanghai (2008); THE MILLS OF GOD GRIND SLOWLY, Knap
Gallery, Amsterdam (2007). Between his collective exhibitions, worth-mentioning are: THE MAN
WHO SAT ON HIMSELF, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin (2015); GROWING
ROOTS, Premio Furla, Palazzo Reale, Milan (2015); SCENARIO DI TERRA, MART, Museo di Arte
Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto (2014); BELVEDERE, MAGA, Museo di Arte Moderna di Gallarate (2014); IL GIARDINO DEI SENTIERI, OCT Contemporary Art Terminal Shanghai
(2013); ARIMORTIS, Museo del Novecento, Milan (2013); ITALIAN CONTAINER, Armenia Center
for Experimental Art, Yerevan (2010). He also presented his videoart works at: ATHENS VIDEO
ART FESTIVAL, Athens(2013); LES URBAINES FESTIVAL, Espace Arlaud, Le Bourg, Lausanne
(2011); ON.FOCUS RICCARDO ARENA, Palais De Glace, Buenos Aires (2010); THE MOBILE
ARCHIVE, Stacion - Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina, Prishtine (2009); INVIDEO 2009 SENZA META. NO DESTINATION, Spazio Oberdan, Milan (2009); THE GAZE, Whitechapel Art Gallery,
London (2006). He took part to workshops and residences like: IN FAVOUR OF A TOTAL ECLIPSE,
Fiorucci Art Trust, Stromboli (2015); VIR, Viafarini Residency, Milan (2015) and won the National
Prize LONG PLAY - XXIV edizione del Premio Nazionale Arti Visive, by MAGA, Museo Arte Contemporanea Gallarate (2011) and the First Prize at MANUALMENTE | 1ST. PRIZE by Villa Panza,
Varese (2011).
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VAVILON | Project C - Solovki Island
Introduction
Vavilon project started in 2013 and focuses on the Solovki Islands, an archipelago located
in the Russian White Sea, at 160 km from the Northern Pole and evolved into a study of
the less renowned aspects of the russian culture. In particular the Russian Cosmism, that
represents a common ground of the totalitaristic system and that characterized all the history of Russian cosmonauts history.
Vavilon is currently formalized into a videowork, presented in 2015 in Tourin at the Fonda
zione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo on occasion of the exhibition The man who sat on himself
– as well as into the “visual compendium” composed by heterogeneous elements exhibited
in the same year in Milan, in Viafarini, where it was hosted a series of interventions by researchers and experts about the topics that generated the theoretical base and the visual
imaginary of the whole project.
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VAVILON | installation view | Viafarini, Milano | 2015
VAVILON | Video HD | Duration 26 min. | 2015
VAVILON | installation view | Viafarini, Milano | 2015
VAVILON | installation view | Viafarini, Milano | 2015
VAVILON | installation view | Viafarini, Milano | 2015
VAVILON | Serigraph Printing, 25 Prints Editions, 35cm x 50cm | 2015
VAVILON | Paper cut collage, 120cm x 120cm | 2015
Dual death Ellero and visual ecosystem | Project B - Argentina
Introduction
“Dual Death Ellero and visual ecosystem” began in a Tibetan village in Sichuan and developed after a series of trips between Argentina and Bolivia. This project was inspired by the
first fingerprint classification techniques; through an articulated physiognomic investigation
conducted by a detective in search of an imaginary face. It reflects historically and symbolically on the differences between observation and contemplation, questioning the concepts
of identity, identification, indivisibility and multiplicity.
he project has been presented in various stages of development, in 2011 in Buenos Aires
in the Galeria Wussman for the 54th Venice Biennial - Padigione Italia nel Mondo and in
2012 in MAGA, as a result of winning the XXIV Visual Arts Prize at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Gallarate.
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Duplice morte Ellero ed ecosistema visivo | installation view | MAGA, Gallarate | 2012
Photography by Roberto Marossi
Figura di Parola - Geometria di Forze | Digital Print | 155 x 155cm | 2011
Lichtloch # 1- 2 -3 | Paper Cut Collage | 50cm x 40cm | 2011
Colui che non è più alcuno | Paper Cut Collage | 135cm x 135cm | 2011
Duplice morte Ellero ed ecosistema visivo | Exhibition view | Galeria Wussman | Buenos Aires | 2011
View from the window at Le Gras | Video | Dur. 16min. | 2012
Untitled | Mixed Media | Museo del Novecento | Milano | 2013
Physiognomic Investigation | Paper cut collage | 50 x 40cm | 2011
Geode-Cristallizzazione | 50 x 50cm | Digital Print | 2011
IL QUATTRO VOLTE ALBERO | Project A - China
Introduction
“Four Times a Tree”, elaborated through a series of journeys in China between 2006 and
2008, develops from the idea of “nature reserve”, garden or park, as a microcosmic reiteration of the universe. Describing the vision of a Chinese garden created by a catastrophic
event, it narrates the adventure of this human generation, whose presence is felt through the
harmonization of its remains in a melancholy celebration of a mythical future.
The project was presented in 2008 in Shanghai 1918ArtSpace gallery, and in 2009 in Milan
in the Mayr3 space and in Allegra Ravizza Art Project gallery.
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And all the Gods huddled themselves against the wall like stray dogs | Lambda print | 110 x 165 cm | 2008
Four Times a Tree | Exhibition view | 1918 ArtSpace, Shanghai 2008 | Mayr3 , Milan 2009
25.765 | Video | Dur. 7min. | 2008
Another 18.000 years of coagulation | Lambda print | 110 x 165 cm | 2008
The light became intense, our souls full of joy, we lost our memory 62 hours before vanishing forever
Paper cut collage | 110 x 110 cm | 2008
SELECTED WORKS
GROWING ROOTS | Installation view | Palazzo Reale, Milano | 2015
HOW EARLY MEN BELIEVED THAT ALL THINGS THAT MOVE ARE ALIVE | Installation view | Ammirato Culture House | 2014
Il Professore N°5 | Video | Dur. 25min. | 2009
Tutte le anomalie del tempo saranno regolate | Video | Dur. 7min. | 2007
Installazione N°305: Anche la galleria N°305 chiude per sempre
Ceramic hand paint | 12m x 4m | Installation view | Viafarini, Milan | 2007
JAMES P.| Video | Dur. 15. min. | 2006
The mills of God grind slowly | Installation view | Galerie Knap, Amsterdam | 2007