FALL 2019 - SEMESTER
FINE ARTS - FINAL STUDENT EXHIBIT
Consumption Gentrif ication and the New C o l o n i a l i s m
School
APICIUS International School of Hospitality
GANZO School Rest aurant The Creative Learning Lab
& SCIENCES
Cover by Anel Tulegenova Printed in December 2019 by FUA - AUF Florence University of the Arts - The American University of Florence
FALL 2019 - SEMESTER
FINE ARTS - FINAL STUDENT EXHIBIT
Consumption Gentrif ication and the New C o l o n i a l i s m
Ganzo will be holding its f inal semester student exhibition on Wednesday, December 4th at 6pm. As the semester comes to an end, and students prepare to embark on new stages of their lives, they were encouraged to reflect on what it meant for them to be an individual in the midst of an evergrowing diverse and gentrif ied environment. The exhibition itself thus becomes an amalgamation of varying opin-ions originating f rom diverse cultural backgrounds, and linked to a multitude of artistic expressions. All f ine arts courses, f rom Art Therapy to Mixed Media, participated in the creation of this joint exhibition which revolves around their personal feelings about how living in Florence, a hub of cultural diversity, has influenced their growth as human beings. This growth was also part of a learning process involving negative emotions of displacement caused by the constant presence and flow of tourists, and their behavior in the city. The students were able to synthesize their perspectives in visual form, a crucial step towards gaining a wholistic understanding their experiences and opinions. Mercoledì 4 dicembre alle 18:00 a Ganzo si terrà la mostra f inale degli studenti FUA-AUF per Fall 2019. Mentre il semestre volge al termine e gli studenti si preparano a intraprendere nuove fasi della loro vita, sono incoraggiati a riflettere su ciò che signif icava per loro essere un individuo nel mezzo di un ambiente sempre più diversif icato e delicato. La stessa mostra diventa quindi una fusione di diverse opinioni originate da diversi background culturali e collegate ad una moltitudine di espressioni artistiche. Tutti i corsi di Fine Arts, dall’Art Therapy ai Mixed Media, hanno partecipato alla creazione di questa collettiva che ruota attorno ai loro sentimenti personali, su come vivere a Firenze, un centro che si distingue nel mondo per la propria diversità culturale: E proprio questa diversità li ha influenzati nella crescita, come esseri umani. Tuttavia, questa crescita faceva parte di un processo di apprendimento che ha portato anche a emozioni negative causate da questa presenza folla costante, soprattutto in centro, dal flusso di turisti e dal loro comportamento in città. Gli studenti sono stati in grado di sintetizzare le loro prospettive in forma visiva, cercando di comprendere appieno i propri punti di vista sull’argomento.
Opening Wednesday, December 4th 2019, from 6pm From Dec. 4th 2019 to Feb. 25th, 2020
GANZO Via dei Macci 85/R, Florence
Andrea Mancini - Advanced Drawing
THE PRIMACY OF DRAWING Centuries ago, drawing was a main protagonist of Florence’s arts scene during the Italian Renaissance that contended with the Venetian school, who were known as masters of color. The Academy of Fine Arts of Florence, the first in the world, was founded in 1563 by Giorgio Vasari and became famous for the great talents who studied there and who now fill the most beautiful pages of Italian art history: Michelangelo Buonarroti, Bartolomeo Ammannati, Agnolo Bronzino, and Francesco da Sangallo. Even today in the wake of this heritage, the primacy of drawing echoes in the classrooms of Advanced Drawing at FUA-AUF via the contribution and work of young artists from all the world. Their creations feature monochrome, charcoal, or graphite, with a contemporary spirit, which honor the artistic traditions of Florence. Through the study of the great masters, students in Advanced Drawing embraced this heritage and made strides in both technical and stylistic aspects of their drawing that aim to expand horizons far beyond any given culture of origin towards a universal visual language.
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Advanced Drawing Elizabeth Earls Washington, D.C., USA | The College of William & Mary Rembrandt Study Vine Charcoal 35x50 cm
This study was done with the intent of capturing Rembrandt’s distinctive style of hatching to create depth and texture in a drawing 6
Advanced Drawing Elizabeth Earls Washington, D.C., USA | The College of William & Mary The Hand of God Vine charcoal and white pastel on toned paper 35x50 cm
The landscape is a mysterious and complex subject for an artist. This drawing was meant to communicate this ambiguity by means of abstraction 7
Advanced Drawing Bloem Brouwers Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Erasmian Gymnasium Self Portrait Charcoal and white pastel chalk on newspaper paper 38x50 cm
Different interpretations of a selfportrait 8
Advanced Drawing Bloem Brouwers Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Erasmian Gymnasium Die Toteninsel Charcoal and white pastel chalk on toned paper 50x35 cm
An interpretation of the painting Die Toteninsel by Arnold Bรถcklin 9
Advanced Drawing Alexandra Pope Memphis, Tennessee, USA | University of Memphis Let it last Graphite pencil and chalk pastel 35x50 cm
Self-portrait (let it last is a prayer to hold on to the present, to not let it pass me by) 10
Andrea Mancini - Intermediate Painting
THE REBIRTH OF PAINTING Today, painting seems to be no longer up-to-date. Critics of contemporary art, from the Venice Biennale to the great international art fairs, seem to favor new and more technological medias like video and digital arts. The big international auctions suggest this as well: among the highest paid-for works are installations and multimedia creations. But painting, I say, is instead more alive than ever in people’s hearts and in the future horizons. The modern modes of entertainment, cinema and game-art for example, are the new and contemporary pursuits that have enlisted thousands of skilled artists and talents. Creativity and great compositional technique are required once again, in a continuous and growing search for new artists. This is the reason why old masters such as Antonello Da Messina Caravaggio, Boecklin, Friederich have returned as examples to follow and study. They are sources of inspiration that our students seem to have immediately taken to heart and made their own in the realization of their semester projects, which put classical and historical painting at the center of their new and contemporary research.
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Intermediate Painting Sophia Moffa Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA | Christopher Newport University Portrait 1 Oil Paints 33x36 cm
Model in a studio session
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Intermediate Painting Kate Tunnell San Francisco, California, USA | Harvard University Isle of Life Oil paint 50x35 cm
Isle of Life replicates BÜcklin’s masterpiece. However, I added warm colors and loose strokes to my version: a spin on the famous work 13
Intermediate Painting Sophia Moffa Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA | Christopher Newport University Dreaming Singer Sargent Oil Paints 50x35 cm
An intense interpretation/study of John Singer Sargent’s Lady 14
Andi Nufer - Intermediate Drawing Creating a relationship is the foundation of learning how to draw. It requires an encounter with the subject, the materials and the image emerging from underneath the pencil, as well as the relationship with oneself and one’s own presence in the moment. In relationships, impact and effect travel in both directions, and thus, Intermediate Drawing students were asked to consider their personal relationships with Florence terms of its impact on them, what they came here searching for, or hoping to find or to be enriched by, and also, the impact their own presence had on the city. Viewed through the lenses of consumption, gentrification, and mass tourism, each of their works is a testament to their sense of protection and appreciation of the deep beauty, history, and humanity that has created the cultural and artistic treasures of Florence and their preciousness. It reflects their concern for, and awareness of, the vulnerability of the place where they are living and studying, the neglect of its holistic needs, and the damage that can gradually destroy - if not recognized and repaired/prevented - the very flower (as Florence’s symbol is actually the giglio/lily) whose fragrance drew them here and enamored them of its sweetness.
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Intermediate Drawing Katherine Blakelock Florence, South Carolina, USA | University of South Carolina Flower in the City Charcoal 50x35 cm
The center of the picture is the flower, but the surroundings tell a big part of the story. The flower can represent the natural, original beauty of the region, with the background of the city representing the growing tourism and consumerism. This makes the place somewhere the flower can no longer grow the same way. While people also want to see the natural beauty of some things, it always comes to a point where it makes the object vulnerable and lose its authenticity 16
Intermediate Drawing Sarah Carbonara Keene, New Hampshire | University of New Hampshire The Killing of Culture Pen and Ink 15x21 cm (tryptic)
For this exhibit, I was inspired by the warning ads found on cigarette boxes in Europe. They depict intense images of the ramifications of smoking cigarettes and how they are true killers. I compared this to gentrification, consumerism, and mass tourism, as they all are killers of culture in some way. Therefore, I created three different cigarette boxes, all warning about the ramifications of gentrification, consumerism, and mass tourism 17
Intermediate Drawing Ruby Lopez Providence, Rhode Island, USA | College of Mount Saint Vincent Nazione di Degrazione Graphite 37x35 cm
This work depicts a man consuming a box of cereal with figures that represent the people of Italy. It calls to attention how consumption of tourists (many American) affects the Italian natives of the cities we visit
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Intermediate Drawing Sophia Moffa Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA | Christopher Newport University Culture Shock Microtip Ink Pen and Colored Pencil 30x42 cm
The cultural gap between Italians of generations ago, and Italian-Americans of today. The color represents the existence of tradition and cultural significance, and the stark contrast between the black and white and the color showcases, the gentrification and elimination of such things in modern Italy 19
Intermediate Drawing Cierra Smith East Moriches, New York, USA | Rowan University The Florentines Charcoal 42x50 cm (diptych)
My piece shows an authentic Florentine symbol and the people that make up the culture. With the influx of tourism, gentrification has become a reality for the people who have lived here for generations. Tourists come to Florence for the history and culture but are uprooting the families that belong here. Without them what is Florence? 20
Nicoletta Salomon - Advanced Painting, Words, Painting, and Emotions: The Mind Map of Creativity, Introduction to Art Therapy, Advanced Art Therapy Inhabiting a city that is changing day by day may elicit conflicting emotions, such as displacement and excitement, anger and numbness. The coping mechanism of quickly adhering to an established ideology to “solve the problem” may prevent each of us from fully experiencing first-hand the complex cocktail of feelings that any change in itself causes in human beings. Artists are not afraid of experiencing it: they are ready to use their senses and to rely upon their transformative power to find creative perspectives that challenge and raise a polarized reaction in the public opinion, both politically and socially: “Welcome gentrification / Gentrification go away.” I asked my students to visually translate their feelings and ideas, with honesty and sincerity, but without expecting to have the final say on the topic, as gentrification is still an ongoing phenomenon, an epiphenomenon of globalization, and is reshaping not only the city of Florence but the majority of contemporary European cities. The goal was to offer space and visibility to as many emotive and interpretive perspectives as possible, while respecting all of them. Discussion will take place afterwards. Action will be just the final step.
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Advanced Painting Stephanie Rosenthal East Windsor, New Jersey, USA | The College of New Jersey Coca-Pellegrino Acrylic paint 20x40 cm
A very traditional, detailed portrait of the Italian brand water bottle San Pellegrino, blended with the iconic American Coca-Cola. It references how the new American culture continues to take over the Italian markets 22
Advanced Art Theraphy Anel Tulegenova Zheskazgan, Kazakhstan | DOS Education Unconfessed emotions Mixed media on paper 38x56 cm
Curiosity and the love for knowledge are motivational factors leading many tourists to Florence. However, with curiosity comes a range of emotions, whether conscious or not. Any traveler visiting a new place carries with oneself their luggage full of experiences, and not necessarily positive ones, one may encounter wonder and disappointment. In my paintings, each face shows bewilderment, anxiety, surprise, and irritation. These emotions are inherent to people during travels: some of us are brought out of equilibrium with the meeting of a large crowd of tourists. We may be concerned for our well-being and the safety of our things. Therefore, an alarming facial expression arises. We may be overtaken by melancholy and depression. We may be overthinking. Among tourists there are not just enthusiastic looks, there are also emotions such as irritability, nervousness, and impatience 23
Advanced Art Theraphy Anel Tulegenova Zheskazgan, Kazakhstan | DOS Education Unconfessed emotions Mixed media on paper 38x56 cm
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Advanced Art Theraphy Anel Tulegenova Zheskazgan, Kazakhstan | DOS Education Unconfessed emotions Mixed media on paper 38x56 cm
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Advanced Painting Mackenzie Looft Fort Collins, Colorado, USA | Colorado State University Stinks Oil, acrylic, and newspaper on canvas 96x64 cm
This painting describes a feeling of contemporary decay and displacement. Inspired by photography of South Korea by Felicia McGowan and of Brooklyn by Robert Herman, I merged these settings with Florentine concepts of gentrification and local street art in order to tell one shared story 26
Advanced Painting Elizabeth Earls Washington D.C., USA | The College of William & Mary Cityscapes under New Light First - Charcoal and oil paint on gessoed paper, pasted on board - 70x95 cm Second - Charcoal and oil paint on canvas - 50x35 cm
Light has the power to visually transform even the familiar into something entirely new and strange. During those ephemeral hours at the end of the day when light is especially concentrated and dramatic, it paints this ancient, unyielding city with shadows and colors until it is almost unrecognizable. Thus is the nature of gentrification; it is the dawn of a new era, a means of changing Florence into something new and unknown. My project centers around the gentrification of Florence as metaphorically represented by light. This series of studies shows the progression of the project, as I continued to investigate the effects of light on the bones of an old city. The project culminates in the largest piece, which utilizes abstraction of shape to emphasize the unique quality of the light 27
Words, Painting, and Emotions: The Mind Map of Creativity Amelia Castelli Hope, Rhode Island | Endicott College Evolution Acrylic on paper 70x50 cm
“Evolution” portrays the transformation of a tourist becoming a resident. When arriving to a foreign place, a person may have contradicting feelings of being excited and overwhelmed. There are many new sights and people which can be intimidating; it is easy to feel out of place, especially when anticipating to call it “home”. As time goes on, this once-tourist becomes accustomed to the scenery, the layout of the city, other inhabitants, the language, the culture. Yet the fickle feelings of puzzlement, amazement, chaos, and joy still remain 28
Words, Painting, and Emotions: The Mind Map of Creativity Kacie Beth Redwood City, California, USA | University of Colorado Boulder In Between Acrylic Painting 30x40 cm
What you see is a reflection, in more ways than one. A reflection of the colors of a sunset permeating across the water’s surface, in fluid motion. A moment of disruption, yet somehow calm. Its beauty is undoubted through the ever changing colors moving from warm to cool, with a sudden burst of gold. Colors seep into one another, first starting off as a strong royal blue, then slowly fading into a rich purple. Who is to say one’s beauty overshines the next, or if it was “right” or “wrong” to disrupt the progression of the first color? This type of disruption leads to the second interpreted reflection, which is one of a capitalistic, Western culture infiltrating places so rich and tied to their history. Florence is an example of one of many cities in the ‘in between’ state of losing its tight grip on its past and being pulled toward a more modern, gentrified city. With so many benefits and detriments that are both in support and against gentrification, it is easy to be at a standstill on what side to take during this time of the in-between. Similar to the blending and fading colors that compose this painting, gentrification also resembles what has been lost but also the beauty of what’s to come. The warm pink, cool blue and brilliant gold at play present a calming, soothing tone while representing a day in age that’s going through a hectic, controversial transition between old and new. Whatever one’s stance, either pro or antigentrification, there is a beauty to be acknowledged in this current state, and the “In Between” is in efforts to reflect that 29
Words, Painting, and Emotions: The Mind Map of Creativity Amelia Castelli, Sarah Michaud, Alondra Morales Sanchez, Jessica Reiter, Johanna Rewucki, Brooke Tuozzo Various cities | Various universities Pieces of diversity Acrylic on papers mounted on black board 50x70 cm
We are involved in a process of fast paced changes, a process that is reframing pieces of the past and chunks of contemporaneity within unpredictable contexts. From a societal perspective, traditions, habits, and even common sense get reshaped due to the clash or melting of diverse cultural elements. Visually, all over Florence, the interplay of old and new shapes and colors craft unexpected palettes. To mirror these phenomena in the creative process, portions from diverse paintings by students of the Words, Painting, and Emotions course have been cut, and large areas have been painfully discarded; the selected pieces have been arranged in a captivating sequence, framed in reassuring and traditional triptychs, alluding to the hope that diversity can find its place of beauty in the globalized city of Florence. A black background speaks both of an unknown future as well as of the infinite array of possibilities that this color entails 30
Paride Moretti - Fresco painting The wall has always been a surface used to imprint the visual language of drawing and painting. From the first prehistoric marks left in caves to the incredible frescoes in western churches and the rebel street-art of graffiti artists, the impulse to immortalize an image on walls seems to appear throughout the whole history of art. The students in this project have tried to integrate the laborious fresco technique with the most spontaneous contemporary street-art style and its main themes.
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Fresco Painting Annabella Silva Boston, Massachusetts, USA | Endicott College Vacationland Fresco 50x70 cm
“Wrap one icon of mass tourism in the pattern of another. Do it in the style and medium most traditional to the area and see what reactions you get.� 32
Paride Moretti - Introduction to Mixed Media, Mixed Media During the Mixed Media course, I tried to encourage students to get to know the city through “walks” to increase their observational and listening skills. “Walking practices have been and are being used by many artists in order to discover and explore a specific territory, city and geography; or to pursue an experience of having both the body and mind aware of the place they occupy and, simultaneously, aware of their process of being-in-mobility. Walking practices are also used as a strategy to address geopolitical, social, economic or environmental issues and to question territorial and political configurations.” Due to these reasons and other considerations, specific tasks were carried out by students exploring the urban space and bringing back ideas, materials and concepts from which artistic projects were then developed.
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Introduction to Mixed Media Annabella Silva Boston, Massachusetts, USA | Endicott College Urban Inklings Mixed Media 50x70 cm
An exploration of the multitude of textures found around the city. Like the interactions between the patterns and textures here in the ink, it seems that everything here in Florence is intertwined. The city itself is a masterpiece of textures and experiences 34
Introduction to Mixed Media Annabella Silva Boston, Massachusetts, USA | Endicott College Urban Inklings Mixed Media 50x70 cm
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Mixed Media Sydney Devaney Maitland, Florida, USA | University of Central Florida Florence VS Mass Tourism Mixed Media 50x70 cm
Mass tourism is the focus point in this piece of work. The boxing gloves represent how Florentine culture clashes with the consequences caused by the mass of tourists that invade the city 36
Paride Moretti - Ceramics Beginner With the term anthropomorphism, we mean the attribution of uniquely human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings, natural and supernatural phenomena, states and material objects or abstract concepts. The project undertaken by Ceramic students, entitled “Creatures,� starts from this word and tries to find an iconographic continuity between the imagery of traditional culture and that of contemporary urban space.
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Ceramics Beginner Maura Knopke Kansas City, Missouri, USA | University of San Diego Misfits Clay Different sizes
Misfits consists of three dinosaur monster creatures: Albert, Herbert, and Stefan. These creatures live in the Dolomites because they were driven out of the city of Florence. They used to live near the Duomo because they wanted to be near the great symbol of the Florentine spirit. However, with the new rush of tourism, they could no longer afford to live by the great Dome. They were driven out of Florence and found refuge in the mountains. These creatures miss their lives in the city as they feel disconnected to their culture and heritage. The artwork as a whole is titled misfits because these creatures feel like misfits in their lives. They do not belong in the mountains, but they also do not fit in with the new rush of tourists in the city 38
Ceramics Beginner Maura Knopke Kansas City, Missouri, USA | University of San Diego Misfits Clay Different sizes
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Ceramics Beginner Maura Knopke Kansas City, Missouri, USA | University of San Diego Misfits Clay Different sizes
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GANZO Art Gallery GANZO ART GALLERY is the interactive gallery of Ganzo School Restaurant. All GANZO exhibitions are planned, organized, and managed by gallery and curating course students under the supervision of the FUA faculty. Exhibitions feature the works of artists from the local community from both Italian and international backgrounds. Artists and Collectors, to propose exhibitions or to inquire about the pricing of displayed works, please see the contact info below. Ganzo Art Gallery è lo spazio espositivo di Ganzo School Restaurant. Tutte le mostre in esposizione al suo interno sono progettate e organizzate dagli studenti dei corsi di gallery and curating presso la FUA Florence University of The Arts, sotto l’attenta supervisione dei docenti di FUA. Le mostre presentano opere di artisti della comunità locale, sia italiana che internazionale. Per artisti e collezionisti, per proporre mostre o per avere informazioni sui prezzi delle opere esposte, scrivici:
exhibitions@fua.it facebook.com/GanzoFlorence
ganzoflorence.it
ACKNOLEDGEMNTS/RINGRAZIAMENTI
Consumption Gentrif ication and the New C o l o n i a l i s m
EXHIBITORS Introduction Level: Introduction to Art Therapy Words, Painting, and Emotions: The Mind Map of Creativity Instructor: Nicoletta Salomon Fresco Painting Ceramics Beginner Instructor: Paride Moretti
Intermediate Level: Intermediate Painting Instructor: Andrea Mancini Mixed Media Instructor: Paride Moretti
Advanced Level: Advanced Painting Advanced Art Theraphy Instructor: Nicoletta Salomon Advanced Drawing Instructor: Andrea Mancini
CURATORS Gallery and Exhibition Curation Ruby Anderson Elizabeth Avina Sonny Helms Leah Laycock Mackenzie Looft Elisa Palumbo Gallery and Exhibition Curation and Experimental Learning Course Natalia Hryniuk Sophia Moffa Anna Giulia Tonetto Anel Tulegenova Instructor: Andrea Mancini SAS - FINE ARTS | FUA-AUF Florence University of the Arts - The American University of Florence