This year, Faggionato marks its 20th anniversary by putting on their most ambitious group show to date. Bringing together some of the most renowned artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, ‘The House’ represents the works of artists among the likes of Richard Hamilton, Mateo Lopez, Urs Fischer, Yoshihiro Suda as well as many others.
‘The House’ which is greatly inspired by Claues Oldenbur’s critical exhibition, ‘The Home’, which was put on in 1964, draws on Contemporary international artists who have demonstrated a deep preoccupation with concerns around the appropriation of everyday objects. Similar to Andy Warhol. In some of the pieces in the exhibition, such as Ficsher’s ‘Mr-Watson-Come-Here-I Want To See You’ (2005), in which a lightbulb hangs freely, dominating empty space, portrays the artist’s enquiry into the material and the abstract being pushed further. The title refers to the first words spoken by Alexander Bell, the inventor of the telephone, on his first phone call. Other oblique interpretations on display are Lopez’s minimalist piece, ‘Invisible Room’ (2014), which is a wooden and paper door which leads nowhere.
The art which is scattered amongst two white rooms, hangs on the walls, from the ceilings and on mantle pieces. ‘the House’ is curated around the sense of a self-contained world, the gallery is subtly divided with the design presenting the illusion of a corridor through which the audience progresses. There were two pivotal works which stood out most for me: Richard Hamilton’s ‘Chiara and Chair’ (2004) which is a print of a naked young woman holding a vacuum cleaner in an anonymous interior and Mateo Lopez’ ‘Manzana’ (2013), which is a charming paper-made apple with a real apple seed in the centre.
Overall, the exhibition forms a dynamic enquiry into perception, scale and material, the transition from painting to object. ‘The House’ presents a continuation of common themes which have existed for generations. So if you are interested in seeing a cutting edge, dynamic and new exhibition, make sure you see this one!