Magzoid Magazine - Leading Art Magazine of MENA | May 2021

Read more at www.magzoid.com
Street artist JR unveils a towering
optical illusion in Florence, Italy
As half of Italy heads
back into lockdown,
the French artist
JR has unveiled a
major installation on
the façade of the Palazzo Strozzi
in Florence that stresses the
importance of maintaining access to
culture during the public health crisis.
The 91-foot spectacle, titled “La
Ferita” or “The Wound”, scales the
Palazzo’s Renaissance façade and
simulates a giant gaping hole in
the front of the building. Inside the
architectural tear is an imagined
vision of the Palazzo’s interior,
made real by a black and white
photographic collage. The museum’s
director, Arturo Galansino, says
that the symbolic wound references
the suffering of cultural institutions
that have been forced to close or
otherwise restrict access to their
collections.
“What all these lockdowns have
shown us very clearly is that people
are hungry for culture. They want
to access exhibitions, museums,
libraries, theaters, cinemas, to have
culture back as a fundamental part
of their lives,” Galansino tells Artnet
News. “We want this work to be
seen as an invitation to rediscover
a direct relationship with art and to
explore new forms of sharing and
participation—a call to action for art
and culture in this difficult moment.”
JR began his career at age 13
as a graffiti artist in France. His
work, which has been exhibited on
staircases, train carriages and even
atop the Louvre, is a fusion of street
art and photography. In his 2015
book “Can art change the world?”
“The beauty of our city is an important
legacy which must be experienced and
activated by the people,”
JR writes, “Images are not special.
It is what you do with them.” JR’s
readiness to place context above
content has brought him international
acclaim.
The illusory gash across Palazzo
Strozzi symbolizes the wound all
cultural sites have sustained due to
ongoing pandemic restrictions. The
art industry has been devastated by
the ongoing shutdown of museums,
galleries, libraries, theaters and
cinemas — with even the most
revered institutions struggling to
get back on their feet. “(“La Ferita”)
makes visible the deep impact of
Covid-19 on culture,” says JR.
With the intention to support
the creation and promotion of
contemporary art in Italy, the
installation also launches the
Palazzo Strozzi’s new Future Art
Programme. The director hope to
be able to reopen the museum’s
doors as soon as possible. In the
meantime, Galansino speaks of a
quiet city that has been denuded
of the domestic and international
tourists that are usually part of the
fabric of daily life. “The beauty of
our city is an important legacy which
must be experienced and activated
by the people,” he says, adding that
the successive shutdowns have
damaged “not only the economy of
our territory but also our identity and
our lifestyle.”
“Florence is an extraordinary city
and no lockdown can change that,”
he stresses. “But we need clarity on
the future to be able to properly move
forward and develop plans to work
with artists, cooperate with cultural
partners, and fundraise in the most
effective way.”
-news@magzoid.com
32 May 2021
www.magzoid.com