ALFONSO ARTIACO ON ART

By Crash redaction

ALFONSO ARTIACO INTERVIEW ON ART: IN 1986, ALFONSO ARTIACO OPENED HIS FIRST SPACE IN POZZUOLI, IN THE BAY OF NAPLES. IN 2003 HE DROPPED ANCHOR IN THE PARTHENOPE OLD CITY, OPENING HIS PROJECT SPACE IN 2010. IN THIS INTERVIEW ACCORDED TO CRASH, ALFONSO ARTIACO, A MAJOR FIGURE IN CONTEMPORARY ART IN ITALY, REVIEWS HIS CAREER AND COMMITMENTS, WHILE GIVING US HIS VISION OF ITALIAN ARTISTS.

Interview by Théo-Mario Coppola

Image above: Alfonso Artiaco, photo by Daren Almond

You opened your first gallery in Pozzuoli, Italy with the group show entitled, “Possibilità di collezione.” Among the artists exhibited are major names in international contemporary art, as well as several Italian artists.

Indeed, “Possibilità di collezione” was the inaugural exhibition at the Pozzuoli gallery, presenting works by Carlo Alfano, Alighiero Boetti, Joseph Beuys, Angelo Casciello, Sandro Chia, Carlo Ciarli, Enzo Cucchi, Marco Del Re, Luciano Fabro, Jannis Kounellis, Nino Longbardi, Lello Lopez, Luigi Ontani, Bruno Palmieri, Giulio Paolini, Gianni Pisani,Vettor Pisani, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Carmine Rezzuti, Mario Schifano, Quintino Scolavino, and Andy Warhol. It was an invitation to lend particular attention to a “different” esthetic.

You then opened your gallery in Naples. What were your motivations?

In 2003, the current Piazza dei Martiri gallery space in Naples was inaugurated. I made this choice because other galleries had closed or moved elsewhere. Contemporary art in Naples was losing ground. For this reason, it seemed essential for me to open in Naples.

Before establishing yourself as a gallery owner, how did you first get started in the contemporary art world? Did you study art?

I didn’t study any subject in particular. I started getting interested in contemporary art through specialized reviews like Giornale dell’arte and Flash Art. Even before opening my gallery, I was an art enthusiast and had started building a collection of small graphic works.

The Parthenope Old City alone evokes all the cultural and artistic treasures of Italy, with sites likes Pompeii and the National Museum of Capodimonte, but is the status of contemporary art in Naples more questionable?

A great interest in art exists in Naples. Naples has always attracted a great many artists who have left a strong impression on the history of art and of Naples, from the exhibitions organized in the 1970s at the Villa Pignatelli in Capodimonte, to the subway stations displaying specific installations, presented in situ in people’s daily lives. But I think our efforts have remained largely dispersed: we have yet to give rise to a single system, a synergy. And this is exactly what we have to work on now.

What was the local response to the opening of your gallery in 1986?

It was received like a new reality. My collectors were generally not Neapolitans. My location in Pozzuoli was seen as immeasurably distant. At the same time, it has never bothered northern Italian collectors.

What’s new in contemporary art in Naples and the Campania region?

We’re seeing a rather interesting transition period, which is tied closely to quality of life in the city, where everything is still up in the air. And the paralysis of certain spaces like the PAN (Palazzo delle arti, Naples) and the incomprehensible mission of the MADRE (Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Donna Regina) do not really help.

You do not work with the MADRE?

No. Furthermore, the Museum does not want to work directly with Neapolitan galleries so as to avoid “local market” contamination.

What role should a gallery owner play? For me, the gallery owner is not an intermediary, but the person who supports and helps artists in their production processes and the development of their projects.

As most artists you represent produce highly conceptual art, what kinds of curators do you like to work with?

I’ve always had a lot of interest for Arte Povera, conceptual art, minimalism, and young international artists. I would say that I collaborate in a positive way with anyone likely to offer something relevant, with no further selection criterion in particular.

What do you think of the growing interest of financial markets in art, particularly contemporary art?

I’ve notice investment funds adding artworks to portfolios. However, I would recall the serious market crisis we experienced in the late 1990s. For this reason, I prefer to work with institutional or private collectors, who are motivated by real interest and not a mere desire to speculate.

Do you intend to open a new space?

In 2010 I opened a project space near other spaces already located at Piazza dei Martiri, in order to expand local programming and work with artists who would not otherwise have been able to show their work in Naples. Beyond this, I want to continue this same passion and determination to develop work on an international scale that remains firmly anchored in this region.

What hopes do you have for the future of Italian contemporary artists on the international scene?

I think Italian artists have brilliantly asserted themselves on the international level through the sheer strength of their work. The opening of the MAXXI should give further strength to this idea of creating a powerful structure that can support Italian creation.

What advice would you give to a young gallery owner today?

I would advise them to work tirelessly, since this is the only investment likely to reward the effort needed to navigate the troubled waters of contemporary art.

Interview from Crash #57