THE YELLOW SIDE OF SOCIALITY. ITALIAN ARTISTS IN EUROPE

This group exhibition presents different generations of artists whose socially and poetically engaged work reflects the many tones and meanings of yellow in Italian and European culture.

The Yellow Side of Sociality. Italian Artists in Europe is presented by BOZAR and the Dena Foundation for Contemporary Art, and gathers the work of Italian artists, many of whom are based elsewhere in Europe. What connects them is not geography, or the Italy of Berlusconi, Monti and Renzi, but the fact that in their research and work they explore and give form to Italy’s communal sensibility by staging a variety of innovative forms of socializationinside and outside of their country.

The Yellow Side of Sociality brings together work from several generations: from established artists Michelangelo Pistoletto,Ettore Spalletti and Vettor Pisani, by way of Davide Bertocchi,Rosa Barba and Cesare Pietroiusti, to the new crop, includingRossella Biscotti, Nico Angiuli and Chiara Fumai.

Various works of art in The Yellow Side of Sociality invite visitors to get involved rather than simply looking on from the sidelines. You can choose a number from the jukebox with the “top 100” of the international art scene, an installation by Davide Bertocchi. Or get to work on Marinella Senatore’s interactive movie set. AtChristian Frosi and Diego Perrone’s long table you can browse Italian art magazines produced by a young generation that illustrate current trends in the lively art scene in their homeland and abroad.With BOZAR Silent Tour Cesare Pietroiusti offers an intriguingguided tour around the corridors of the Palace for Fine Arts that the general public is not normally permitted to enter. Luca Vitone’sEppur si muove is a wheel-shaped sofa, a space for reflection and meetings dedicated to the condition of the Roma people in Europe.Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Love Difference – Mar Mediterraneoinstallation, on the other hand, is one big mirroring table in the shape of the Mediterranean with chairs from the countries of the region. The image invokes the cultural diversity around the sea, at the same time suggesting solidarity. Everyone is invited to take a seat and share their thoughts about art and society.

The Yellow Side of Sociality

The title of the exhibition refers to the many meanings of “yellow”, the colour that symbolises the complexity of Italian identity. Yellow calls forth positive associations with sunshine, optimism, cheerful lightness and happiness. But yellow is garish, too, a colour of cowardice and jealousy. In Italy, a giallo is also a film or novel brimming with sensational crime and mystery.

Curator Nicola Setari: “I did not want to underline the difficulty of the current state of affairs in Italy. On the contrary, I wanted to expresswhat I think Italy has to give that can be helpful for Europe today: a special kind of social sensitivity and intelligence that we could define as ‘yellow’. This yellow sociality, as it unfolds in the work of the artists participating in the exhibition, can direct us to ‘the sunny side of the street’, but not in a frivolous way, for, the colour is dense with mystery and exists always on the threshold of danger – yellow is the universal colour of warning.”

BOZAR STREET

The exhibition is displayed on BOZAR STREET, a freely accessible route that connects the two public entrances of the Palace for Fine Arts on rue Ravenstein and rue Royale. The STREET runs straight through the Palace, connecting the two exhibitions in the large circuits,Paintings from Siena. Ars Narrandi in Europe's Gothic Age andSensation and Sensuality. Rubens and his legacy.

On this occasion the STREET extends itself all the way up to the Justus Lipsius building of the Council of the European Union in Brussels, where in the main hall visitors can admire a monumental version ofMichelangelo Pistoletto's Third Paradise.

Focus on Italy

This exhibition is organised within the framework of the Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Inspired by this, BOZAR presents the multidisciplinary programme Focus on Italy, featuring, alongside The Yellow Side of Sociality. Italian Artists in Europe, the exhibition Paintings from Siena. Ars Narrandi in Europe’s Gothic Age, as well as music, theatre, dance, literature, cinema and architecture. For more information, see www.bozar.be(http://www.bozar.be/activity.php?id=15252).