Talking About 2024. State of the art. Art inspiring
A collector in love with glass and Italian Arte Povera, and a contemporary artist who likes to disorientate and make people think with her works, discuss what it means to make and propose art today. And what relations and influences exist between the great art of the 20th century and that of these years: how they dialogue and how they compare. Art inspires and influences art: a cue to reflect on the very role of art in our society.
MELISSA MCGILL
Melissa McGill is a New York based interdisciplinary artist known for ambitious, collaborative, site specific public art projects and a vibrant studio practice. Her projects take the form of site-specific, immersive experiences that explore nuanced conversations between land, water, sustainable traditions, and the interconnectedness of all living things. At the heart of her work is a focus on community, meaningful shared experiences and lasting positive impact. Spanning a variety of media including performance, photography, painting, drawing, sculpture, sound, light, video and immersive installation, McGill has presented both independent public art projects and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally since 1991.
Red Regatta was an unprecedented independent public art intervention created by artist Melissa McGill that activated Venice’s lagoon with four large-scale choreographed regattas of traditional vela al terzo sailboats hoisted with hand-painted red sails in 2019. Presented in collaboration with Associazione Vela al Terzo Venezia, curated by Chiara Spangaro, with project manager Marcella Ferrari, the project was co-organized by Magazzino Italian Art, with support from Mazzoleni.
Unfolding in multiple parts and bringing together over 300 Venetian partners, Red Regatta celebrates the city’s maritime history and calls attention to the forces of climate change and mass tourism that threaten its future. In Red Regatta, as 52 traditional vela al terzo sailboats glided though the lagoon in unison against the sky, sea, and cityscape, the reds referenced forces of life and passion, alarm and urgency, and Venice itself—from its bricks and terra cotta rooftops, to its flag and history of trade in red pigment, to paintings by Titian, Tintoretto, and other Venetian masters. McGill is a New York-based artist who previously lived in Venice and continues to be engaged with the city and her community there.
For more information visit melissamcgillartist.com
GIORGIO SPANU
Born in Iglesias, in the island of Sardinia, Italy. Co-founder of the Olnick Spanu Collection focusing on Postwar and Contemporary Italian Art, Murano glass, Ceramics, Design, and Art books. The activities of the Collection include the Olnick Spanu Art Program (OSAP), an annual art residency program for Italian artists located in Garrison, NY, as well as the publication of books and production of films dedicated to contemporary Italian art, design, and architecture. Co-Founder of Magazzino Italian Art Museum, currently serving as a Trustee of the Magazzino Italian Art Foundation and Chairman of Casa Italiana Zerilli- Marimò at NYU. Benefactor of many institutions including: The Garrison Institute; Manitoga/ The Russel Wright Design Center; Boscobel; Putnam History Museum; DIA Art Foundation; Scenic Hudson; LongHouse Reserve; National Audubon Society; The Museum of Arts and Design; The Vignelli Center for Design Studies at Rochester Institute of Technology. Married to Nancy Olnick and father of Stella Spanu Fibel, currently lives in New York City, Garrison, New York and Rome, Italy.
