Antonio Rovaldi

Casa Italiana Zerilli - Marimò. Manhattan, New York, Stati Uniti

March 3, 2020

The Italian artist Antonio Rovaldi meets Dr. Steven Handel, professor of Landscape Architecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, in a dialogue on the landscapes and physical and perceptive limits of the city of New York. Organized by the Magazzino Italian Art Foundation in collaboration with the GAMeC - Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery of Bergamo, Rovaldi presents two related works - End. Words from the Margins. New York City, winner of the 5th edition of the Italian Council, and the book The Sound of the Woodpecker Bill: New York City. Recently featured in exhibitions at the Harvard School of Design and GAMeC, the projects reflect Rovaldi's unique practice, which combines photography, video, sculpture, writing and design in the construction of narratives rooted in landscapes and explorations of space and distance.

End. Words from the Margins. New York City explores the metropolis, which has become a symbol and icon, from the point of view of the city limits, analyzing the boundaries of its five neighborhoods that the artist walks along the external perimeters. The project testifies to the possibility of describing the city and its development through a physical journey, considering the idea that a conscious rebirth of society can expand to the most marginal places.

The project finds its fulfillment in the publication of the book The Sound of Woodpecker Bill: New York City, published by Humboldt Books, which includes a selection of 100 black and white photographs documenting Rovaldi's journey around the perimeter of each area, accompanied from texts by the artist. The book includes geographical maps created by landscape architect Francesca Benedetto with contributions from Francesca Berardi, Cecilia Canziani, Anna de Manincor, Claudia Durastanti, Lorenzo Giusti, Steven Handel and Mario Maffi.

End. Words From The Margins. New York City is a project by Antonio Rovaldi promoted by GAMeC - Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Bergamo, in collaboration with Harvard - GSD, Magazzino Italian Art, and the St. Gallen Kunst Museum, supported by the Italian Council (5th edition , 2019), the program for the promotion of Italian contemporary art in the world of the General Steering Committee for Contemporary Creativity of the Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities for Tourism