Cesare Pietroiusti – artist talk

Thursday, 01 May 2008, 6.30pm FREE (Sydney)

CESARE PIETROIUSTI — Paradoxical Forms of Exchange

Italian conceptual artist Cesare Pietroiusti presents a public discussion on his practice that will include a series of short screenings. At the end of the talk there will be a free distribution of 150 unique artworks made by the artist for the occasion.

Pietroiusti takes the experiences of life and transforms them into art. Minor events, paradoxical situations or problems concealed in the folds of ordinary life are explored through performative exchanges that implicate his audience in the work. In 1994 the artist made himself available to help anyone who would make a request and in turn carried out various tasks such as cleaning homes or walking dogs. In 1997 he published Pensieri non funzionali, a collection of 100 absurd instructional texts. Many of the ideas from this book have been carried out by the artist himself or by others over subsequent years.

Ideas of economy have played a major role in Pietroiusti’s practice. He often disrupts prevailing frameworks. For his performance Enriching Food (2006), he took over Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery Café for a twenty-four hour period. As head chef he planned the menu and cooked a selection of Italian dishes for patrons. On completion of their meals a generous twist occured, patrons receiving the price of the dishes they ordered in cash.

Pietroiusti is also the co-founder of the international artist collective Nomads & Residents and Progetto Orste, a group of artists and curators concerned with developing spaces for the transmission of ideas through free events. Continuing his interest in developing alternative networks for the distribution of ideas, Pietroiusti has recently collaborated with SPACE (Juraj Carny, Diana Majdakova and Lydia Pribisova) to form Evolution de l’Art, a gallery that sells only immaterial artworks.

Cesare Pietroiusti Tutto quello che trovo, 1999 performance, Firenze. Photo: Studio Cantini

For more information contact: Kylie Johnson Public Programs T 02 9356 0503 kyliej@artspace.org.au Artspace http://www.artspace.org.au/ 43 – 51 Cowper Wharf Road Woolloomooloo NSW 2011 Sydney Australia

T: +61 2 9356 0555 F: +61 2 9368 1705