Localedue, a well-known independent space dedicated to contemporary art active in Bologna from 2013 to 2021, has reopened as Megadue in via Mascarella, where it inherited the headquarters of Sonic Belligeranza, which moved to the other side of the street. Directing this new phase is the now consolidated trio made up of Fabio Farnè, Filippo Tappi and Gabriele Tosi, joined by the artist Stefano Giuri. Leading the way in the programme, the exhibition “Till the clouds roll by” by the young artist Marco Gobbi from Brescia, which will be open to visitors until 16 March 2024. The project, centered on a sculptural reflection generated by the hybridisation of the ancient figure of the augur with the morphology of the human hearing system, supports the verticality of the exhibition space with the elegant shapes of a double ceramic jug evocative of arcane divinatory rites and of a mysterious zoomorphic tile almost camouflaged with the white of the wall which hosts it, which also brings suggestions linked to the theme of the double and hearing. To find out more about this project, we asked the Megadue team a few questions.
Marco Gobbi, “Till the Clouds Roll by”, installation view, courtesy Megadue
Emanuela Zanon: The mission of Localedue was to consolidate the youthful and independent artistic environment, promoting research into new and experimental expressions. What changes and what remains of this approach to Megadue?
The general objective remains but the climate has changed. Today it seems useful to us to travel unexpected routes, to open the geographies that cross the scene considering the fluidity of the actors. Gobbi’s vases look at all this with open ears.
In a period of transformations like the one we are going through, in which the traditional art system is at risk of implosion due to the loss of the authority of the reference parameters that regulated it, how is the role of independent spaces changing, which previously were considered the natural gateway to that system?
We don’t like thinking of the independent as an alternative or as a function of something else. However, relationships that give energy are welcome. For us, being independent is an act of love, it means doing things whose existence makes us happy.
Marco Gobbi, “Till the Clouds Roll by”, installation view, courtesy Megadue
What are the main challenges of designing exhibitions in a 4 m² space? When selecting the invited artists, is the compatibility of their work with a small space also taken into account or is the fun of seeing how they react to this request?
We invite artists we want to work with and the nature of the space helps us become aware of what we are doing. A small and vertical dimension in relation to the vastness of the road. In the middle there is a glass and a porch that act as screens. The issue is not resolving space, which would certainly be impossible. The theme is what the space says about what is exhibited and who exhibits it.
What are the next scheduled events?
We are working on an annual program with six solo exhibitions under our care interspersed with shorter events, created by hosting the activities of other organizer friends. Marco Gobbi’s exhibition remains on display until March 16th. The first week of April we inaugurate Martina Rota’s solo exhibition. In between, on March 21st, there is Michele Mazzani’s live performance by Sonic Belligeranza and on March 23rd Edoardo Caimi’s performance by Glebaduemila. On May 10th the GUT sound performance by Diane Mahin curated by Xing.
Marco Gobbi, “Till the Clouds Roll by”, installation view, courtesy Megadue
One of the elements of Megadue that most arouses curiosity in passers-by is its “dynamic sign”, a smartphone always connected to WhatsApp where anyone can have access to the group chat. Could it become a virtual extension of the exhibition space in the future?
It was created to communicate with the street quickly, without going through the printing house. A bit of the opposite of the paper publications designed by Maria Cecilia Cirillo for Aosta Publishing which document the personal exhibitions by printing the artist’s words and literature. In any case, these are images that contain other images. The artists will tell us what the spaces of megadue are.
Info:
Megadue
Via Mascarella, 16/A, Bologna
https://www.instagram.com/megadue_/
info.megadue@gmail.com
Graduated in art history at DAMS in Bologna, city where she continued to live and work, she specialized in Siena with Enrico Crispolti. Curious and attentive to the becoming of the contemporary, she believes in the power of art to make life more interesting and she loves to explore its latest trends through dialogue with artists, curators and gallery owners. She considers writing a form of reasoning and analysis that reconstructs the connection between the artist’s creative path and the surrounding context.
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