Catalogo Cartasia 2012

INTRODUCTION
By Nicolas Bertoux / Art Director Cartasia
Paper, cardboard, sketch, model, folds, assembly, installation,
opening, exhibition, compliments, criticisms, disassembly,
budget, Cartasia.
To plan, build and install some paper sculptures
in public places, structures that must withstand
one month open air, under the rain, subjected to
bad weather, to the possible damages caused by human
intervention. An original and ambitious project, a challenge.
When I have received the proposal to participate, in April
of 2004, I haven’t hesitated a second, and immediately
accepted. I had for a long time in mind a monumental
sculpture that had as basic element giant spools of paper,
and I felt that the moment had arrived to concretize my
idea; a reproduction of the structure of the city Lucca -
with its alleys, the walls - in a sort of labyrinth, entirely
constituted by spools and waved cardboard. With the
organizing committee we chose to work for the first
year on an experimental ground: we didn’t know the
availability of the raw material from the paper industries,
neither the interest to support of the institutional bodies.
here were a lot of unknown issues. If this experience had
worked out, in the years to come we would have resorted
to the creativeness of numerous artists, organizing an
international contest, summoning a jury of experts, and
founding a Biennial exhibition. Everything now is concretized,
and I’ve been able to see Cartasia grow and to affirm itself
as Biennal of contemporary art, testifying the increasing
attention toward the artistic avant-garde that uses the paper
as constitutive media of the works.
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