Thursday 30.05.2019

Two Projects in Milan at RABOTAROOM

KILL THE BOSS
Khaled Hafez, Marc Kalinka, Bruno Muzzolini, Ferhat Özgür, Steve Piccolo, Anri Sala, Fani Zguro

HERE
Rosa Barba, Erik Bunger, Nico Dockx, Regina Jose Galindo, Dora Garcia, Jesper Just, Haroon Mirza, Bruno Muzzolini, Steve Piccolo, Anri Sala, Santiago Sierra, Fani Zguro

Rabotaroom, Milan
From May 31 until June 15, 2019

'Kill The Boss' and 'Here' are two group projects taking place in Milan from 31 May to 15 June 2019. In the first project 'Kill The Boss,' installed in the spaces of Rabotaroom (in collaboration with Oxana Maleeva), the artists present works that ´defy´ the myth of the leader. In the other project 'Here,' they have been invited, together with other artists, to suggest short phrases that will take the form of graffiti on advertising posters in the streets of Milan (inserting vandalism in the framework of publicity).

A film by Jan Egleson from 1990, 'A Shock to the System,' provided the stimulus for the idea of the exhibition. Michael Caine, in the role of an ad-man, kills an irritating panhandler (just for starters), then his wife and – finally – his boss. He cynically manages to elude all accusations and meets with success in his career. The works chosen for the show 'Kill The Boss' have nothing to say about revolution or mass rebellion. 'Promises' by Anri Sala and the photos by Bruno Muzzolini address the notion of ´staying out of trouble´, while the pieces by Steve Piccolo, Khaled Hafez, Ferhat Özgür, Marc Kalinka and Fani Zguro examine the improbable longevity of the physical clichés of boss and underling. So watch out! The boss is lurking everywhere, even very close to you, where you least expect it…

Graffiti is a practice that has spread all over the world. It is an urban action that is often seen as a crime of vandalism, regardless of the originality of its maker. But if we must speak of vandalism, graffiti is perfectly comparable to the phenomenon of advertising posters. Both attempt to communicate through public spaces. Both are there for the sole aim of influencing a consumer (to paraphrase Pier Paolo Pasolini, our contemporary society does not set out to raise good kids, but good consumers). It is simultaneously interesting and grotesque to realize that in both cases we are looking at acts of vandalism. But in the case of graffiti those acts are punishable by law, while advertising posters are instead encouraged by various means and regulations. My proposed project 'Here' is a ´marriage´ of these actions. In my view, the ideal space on which to put graffiti is an advertising poster. The clandestine graffiti artist becomes happy and legal thanks to this courteously supplied and available space.

In collaboration with Oxana Maleeva (Rabotaroom)