things that fall

“To understand the reasons behind the title of this show – Things that Fall – as well as some of the choices at the core of the dialogue between the works of Cristian Chironi and Erin O’Keefe both showing for the first time at Ncontemporary, it is worth pausing first on its decor. It is hard to predict in which form the viewers will encounter this, and certainly it will not be the same all throughout the exhibition. Scattered around the space or assembled in monolithic shapes, the colourful polyurethane blocks designed in 1973 by Studio 65, might be a perfect seat too often missing in gallery shows, or an occasion for playfulness, also quite rare in similar contexts. They are the modular blocks of Baby Lonia, a sculpture and a game which was inspired by the story of the Tower of Babel and developed together with prof. Francesco De Bartolomeis during a series of workshops that happened in the 70s hosted by a few schools in Turin. With a typically postmodern move, the big tower was re-interpreted rather playfully and its collapse viewed not so tragically. Once the monolith falls, diversity is created. Pupils become architects of their own spaces, exercising practises of embodiment and manipulation, and potentially shaping other ways of living. Similar strategies characterise the work of the artists in the show as well: Cristian Chironi, master of inhabiting and interpretation; Erin O’Keefe, choreographer of uncertainty.”

Text by Caterina Avataneo