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After the summer solstice, the Galleria Borghese in Rome, Italy, takes on a new look. Here, nature and humanity go hand in hand – enter through the gate and walk through the green garden in front of The Aaviary, where a giant spider sculpture stands. And when one walks into the gallery and looks up, the giant sculpture "Cell, The Last Climb" by French-American artist Louise Bourgeois is soaring straight into the classical mural on the ceiling.
Walk through the garden in front of the large aviary, in front of the Borghese Gallery.
© The Easton Foundation/Licensed by SIAE 2024 and VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Ph.by A.Osio
The cage, a square and simple modern geometric structure, contrasts with the magnificent and elegant atmosphere of the museum, creating a striking visual contrast. In stark contrast, the viewer can't help but think about the dichotomy between the fragility and eternity of human existence. At the Galleria Borghese in Rome, a solo exhibition of contemporary women artists, Louise Bourgeois: Unconscious Memories, is underway, and a dialogue between Bourgeois and the old museum building unfolds.
The "Cells" series is located in the exhibition hall of the Borghese Gallery.
© The Easton Foundation/Licensed by SIAE 2024 and VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Ph.by A.Osio
The building of the Borghese Gallery, originally the villa residence of the Borghese family, began construction in 1613 and was completed in 1620. Since the 20th century, it has become a landmark of the National Gallery of Italy, and is known for the world's largest collection of Caravaggio paintings, as well as a large collection of Bernini's sculptures. By the end of the 20th century, the Italian government spent 50 billion lira on a complete restoration of the art gallery, which reopened to the public in 1997 and formed the cornerstone of the Borghese Gallery we see today. Behind the splendor of classical style and "reminiscence" of contemporary art, the audience can't help but ask: why did such an ambitious contemporary art exhibition take place in an ancient European building built in the early 17th century, unlike the presentation mode of the white box space?
Installation view of Louise Bourgeois: Unconscious Memory, Galleria Borghese, Rome, 2024.
© The Easton Foundation/Licensed by SIAE 2024 and VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Ph.by A.Osio
At the end of the 18th century, the British Museum was founded, which for the first time formally established the basic paradigm of modern "encyclopedic" art museums. At that time, the expanding scale and scope of the exhibition allowed the collection to move from a private curiosity room to a public museum; In the early 20th century, the American art world revolutionized the face of art museums, and since then, the "white box" has become the most influential methodology in the construction of modern and contemporary art spaces, and has been fully utilized by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York under Alfred H. Barr. Some curators who focus on contemporary art believe that the "white box" minimizes visual distractions and guides the viewer to a pure experience of the artwork. Bare spaces, white walls, and minimalist picture frames so much that we hardly notice their presence.
However, the current audience has the right to ask: Is the "white box" the only and optimal solution for contemporary art? When the "white box" has become the "standard answer" for museums and galleries to exhibit modern and contemporary art, this phenomenon has also made some scholars wonder whether the "white box" itself has made contemporary art conformist.
Inside the White Cube series by Brian O'Doherty.
The picture comes from the Internet
Thankfully, there are still many historical forces to draw on and tap into in the way art exhibitions are presented – and if we look around the world, we will be pleasantly surprised to find that the trend of merging ancient architecture with contemporary art has shown its vigorous vitality. In Italy, where culture is rich, the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence is not only one of the greatest buildings of the Renaissance, but today it is the cultural center of the city. Since 2006, the Strotzi Palace has hosted more than 50 exhibitions and collaborated with some of the world's leading museums, including the Louvre in Paris, the Tate Modern in London and the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Installation view of Marina Abramovich's large-scale retrospective "The Cleaner", Troch Palace, 2018-2019.
© Palazzo Strozzi
In recent years, Palazzo Strozzi has focused more on contemporary art, and has held a series of large-scale retrospectives of artists, including the retrospective "Electronic Renaissance" by contemporary video artist Bill Viola, the retrospective "The Cleaner" by Marina Abramović, the "mother of performance art", " Jeff Koons: Shine, among others.
When a city, or even a country, has a traditional and deep historical and cultural vein, it is inevitably questioned that it is difficult to smoothly integrate with the process of modernization, especially in the field of contemporary art. Both the Borghese Museum and the Palazzo Strosch aim to point out a possible path to an experimental dialogue between tradition and innovation, and similar examples of unique practical challenges are taking place in Lhasa, a remote city in China.
Deep in the Jibengang Art Center, Lhasa's only existing three-dimensional mandala structure is one of the ancient buildings (the mandala in Tibet, also known as the mandala, is the supreme ideal world of Buddhist cosmology, in the 16th century, the monks built a monastery here to resist the legendary flood, and in the 19th century, its prototype was built as a barrier and barrier against the British army. The old building, which once served as a grain reserve bureau, was rediscovered in its former glory, with a large number of frescoes and wooden elements destroyed. After three years of restoration, it has finally reopened as a contemporary art center. Since its establishment, Yoshimotogang has accepted a number of artists to reside, including Ding Yi's solo exhibition "Ten Directions", Yang Mian's solo exhibition "Zhaojian", Jiang Sheng's solo exhibition "84,000 Years", and Zhou Li's solo exhibition "Four Seasons".
Installation view of "Zhou Li: Four Seasons", Yoshimotogang Art Center, 2024.
© Gibbon Hill Arts Center
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The use of the past for the present in the architectural space and the construction of diverse scenes of contemporary art are also reflected in the exhibition decisions of national art galleries and museums in recent years. At the Louvre, for example, a large-scale project called "Les Hôtes du Louvre" ("Les Hôtes du Louvre") invited contemporary artists such as Kader Attia and Elizabeth Peyton to open studios in the Louvre.
In China, the Forbidden City, as one of the most famous museums in the world, is also the largest museum of ancient culture and art in China, with a complete collection system of ancient art. In 2020, the Palace Museum held its first large-scale solo exhibition of contemporary art, Cai Guo-Qiang: Journey and Return, featuring a total of 180 works, which also wrote a strong stroke in the artist's exhibition history. In 2019, some of the works of artist Anish Kapoor in his first exhibition in China were exhibited at the Taimiao Art Gallery, and his concave and convex mirror sculptures reflect the sparkle of the 600-year-old building, and not only does the classical Chinese style blend with this contemporary art creation in the reflection of the mirror, but the viewer can even gaze through the mirror to see their own existence.
Top & Bottom: Anish Kapoor's Large-scale First Exhibition in China, Taimiao Art Museum, 2019.
© Jonathan Leijanhuffvod 2019
At the same time, we will also find that the intersection of ancient architecture and contemporary art not only occurs in the space of art museums, but also makes ancient buildings an excellent choice for commercial galleries. TUCKED AWAY IN AN ICONIC BRUTIVIST BUILDING FORMERLY THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY CENTER OF ST. AGNES, THE BERLIN BRANCH OF THE KÖNIG GALERIE IS A CUBIC CONCRETE BUILDING SURROUNDED BY COURTYARD VIEWS, THE GALLERY HAS NO WINDOWS, AND LIGHT SHINES THROUGH SKYLIGHTS AND CRACKS IN THE WALLS. Johann König, the founder of the gallery, said of the space: "The building has a lot of light at the top and a very rough exterior, but the interior is soft and bright, perfect for displaying works of art. ”
Similarly, in Asia, South Korea's leading gallery, Kukje Gallery, has transformed a traditional hanok into an extension of its art program, serving as a bookstore, private viewing and office. Bo Young Song, the gallery's vice president, responded in an interview, "Here (the hanok) shows how we live in tradition. Revitalized in a century-old building, this unique pavilion has showcased works by a range of international artists such as Lee Ufan, Ugo Rondinone, Roni Horn, Haegue Yang and more.
Delve into the theme of how ancient architecture can coexist with contemporary art, Francesca Cappelletti, director of the Borghese Art Museum, told us on the occasion of the Bourgeois exhibition that as early as 2007, the Borghese Art Museum started a series of large-scale contemporary art projects, which have already launched Nedko Solakov, Zhang Enli, Georg Baselitz, and DaminanExhibitions by outstanding contemporary artists such as Damien Hirst.
Top & Bottom: Installation view of Zhang Enli's "Birdcage", Galleria Borghese, Rome, 2019.
© Borghese Gallery
Since taking office in 2020, Cappelletti has been further maturing and systematizing the museum's contemporary art program. In her opinion, contemporary art should be one of the important ways for the museum to present its research results; As a member of the museum, she is responsible for ensuring that this beautiful building is cared for and properly preserved, and at the same time, she is responsible for making innovative use of this precious resource, so that contemporary art can resonate deeply with the historic museum itself, and release a unique artistic tension.
Above: Bourgeois's work in the exhibition is juxtaposed with Borghese's collection.
© The Easton Foundation/Licensed by SIAE 2024 and VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Ph.by A.Osio
Below: Francesca Cappelletti, the current director of the Borghese Gallery, in Room 14.
© Borghese Gallery
The challenge for the Borghese Museum is to bring the classical masterpieces back to the contemporary audience and to make the contemporary sculptures more recognizable, which is known for its splendid collection of classical classics and rich history. Cappelletti made a special mention of the curatorial strategy of the Bourgeois exhibition: the museum and the curators have carefully arranged Bourgeois's works to complement the works in the collections in the different galleries, allowing the viewer to explore the hidden resonance between ancient and contemporary sculpture when viewing these works.
Installation view of Louise Bourgeois: Unconscious Memory, Galleria Borghese, Rome, 2024.
© The Easton Foundation/Licensed by SIAE 2024 and VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Ph.by A.Osio
In order to optimize the quality and precision of contemporary art exhibitions, the Borghese Museum usually strictly controls the number of works to about 30, ensuring that each work can maintain its own integrity while fully interacting with the various exhibition spaces in the museum, including the garden. In the selection of collaborating artists, the museum will also favor artists who can understand the deep connection between art and history based on their classical tone. At the same time, it examines whether the artist's works pay attention to the harmony with nature, so as to facilitate the presentation of the artworks and the park landscape of the museum in the subsequent exhibitions.
Installation view of Louise Bourgeois: Memories of the Unconscious, Galleria Borghese, Rome, 2024.
© The Easton Foundation/Licensed by SIAE 2024 and VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Ph.by A.Osio
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Putting contemporary art into the "classical box", the encounter between the history and contemporary art precipitated in classical art will bring a completely different experience to the audience, as Cappelletti said in an interview, "I believe that this is our common goal - to preserve history and innovate so that every audience, especially young people, can appreciate and understand history and art on the basis of preserving history." We want to convey to everyone that love for art and cultural heritage can really bring you joy! ”
Installation view of Louise Bourgeois: Memories of the Unconscious, Galleria Borghese, Rome, 2024.
© The Easton Foundation/Licensed by SIAE 2024 and VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Ph.by A.Osio
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Interview and writing: Sheng Luoying
编辑:Cynthia
Typesetting: Yu Ziyao