Vittorio Santoro
Today I Haven't Done Anything to Avoid the Inevitable
01 - 10 Feb 2018
VITTORIO SANTORO
Today I Haven't Done Anything to Avoid the Inevitable
1 - 10 February 2018
We are delighted to present at the gallery the 10 flags conceived by Vittorio Santoro for the Prix Marcel Duchamp 2017 exhibited at Centre Pompidou and in the public space in Paris from 27/09/2017 to 08/01/2018.
Today I Haven’t Done Anything to Avoid the Inevitable, 2017
10 flags, masts, fan, 5 light spots, programmed light cycle
AUJOURD'HUI JE N'AI RIEN FAIT POUR EVITER L'INEVITABLE
HOW SOMETHING BECOMES SOMEONE WHO SPEAKS OF THE IMAGINARY
DEMAIN IL N'Y AURA PLUS DE TRACES QUE TU ETAIS LA
TOMORROW THERE IS NO EVIDENCE YOU WERE EVER HERE
"AVANT" SE TROUVE APRES "APRES"
LE SILENCE DETRUIT LES CONSEQUENCES
SILENCE DESTROYS CONSEQUENCES
NOUS N'EXISTONS QUE GRACE A NOS COMPROMIS AVEC LE MONDE
WE EXIST THROUGH COMPROMISE WITH THE WORLD
A COTE DE NOUS, EN-DESSOUS DE NOUS, AU-DESSUS DE NOUS
NEXT TO US, BELOW US, ABOVE US
UN TEMPS OU LES CHOSES AVAIENT DE L'IMPORTANCE
A TIME WHEN THINGS MATTERS?
IL Y A QUELQUE CHOSE PLUTOT QUE RIEN
THERE IS SOMETHING RATHER THAN NOTHING
CE NE SONT PAS LES BOUTEILLES A LA MER QUI MANQUENT
WE HAVE ENOUGH MESSAGES IN A BOTTLE
LE LANGAGE NE VOUS CONNECTERA JAMAIS TOUT A FAIT AU MONDE
LANGUAGE WILL NEVER QUITE CONNECT YOU TO THE WORLD
Essential remanence, by Cécile Grémillet, 2017
As part of his project A door must be opened or not closed, Vittorio Santoro has installed nine flags in the city of Paris, and has placed one in the exhibition space of the Centre Pompidou. The installation Today I Haven’t Done Anything To Avoid The Inevitable (2017) is made up of multi-coloured flags on which are printed written aphorisms in capital letters.
The aphoristic form of the phrase summons the universality of its impact. Stylistically, its open structure gives it an ambiguous aspect. For example, the aphorism that states that “language will never quite connect [us] to the world” highlights the paradoxes of language at a time of hyper-communication. These thoughts need to be deciphered by the reader in order for him/her to grasp the plurality of their interpretative layers.
The flags placed in the public space are left free to the interpretation of the walker, but their presence also tends to unsettle. In an urban environment filled with signs, Vittorio Santoro’s flags sound as selfless invitations to dialogue.
The artist puts to one side the immediacy of the sign, in favour of sentences requiring meditation and that inscribe the receiver in a logic of detachment. Far from advertising or informative stimulus looking to provoke a reaction, the remanence of the aphorisms results in a thought process. This goes beyond the reading and finds interior repercussions with each reader.
By opposing this remanence to the haste of the city, Vittorio Santoro chooses to offer a break to the passer-by, a reflexive bubble that will take him/her away from the instantaneity of daily life for one moment. In order to do so, the walker mustn’t look at the asphalt disappearing under his/her feet, but lift his/her head towards the sky’s immensity.
Today I Haven't Done Anything to Avoid the Inevitable
1 - 10 February 2018
We are delighted to present at the gallery the 10 flags conceived by Vittorio Santoro for the Prix Marcel Duchamp 2017 exhibited at Centre Pompidou and in the public space in Paris from 27/09/2017 to 08/01/2018.
Today I Haven’t Done Anything to Avoid the Inevitable, 2017
10 flags, masts, fan, 5 light spots, programmed light cycle
AUJOURD'HUI JE N'AI RIEN FAIT POUR EVITER L'INEVITABLE
HOW SOMETHING BECOMES SOMEONE WHO SPEAKS OF THE IMAGINARY
DEMAIN IL N'Y AURA PLUS DE TRACES QUE TU ETAIS LA
TOMORROW THERE IS NO EVIDENCE YOU WERE EVER HERE
"AVANT" SE TROUVE APRES "APRES"
LE SILENCE DETRUIT LES CONSEQUENCES
SILENCE DESTROYS CONSEQUENCES
NOUS N'EXISTONS QUE GRACE A NOS COMPROMIS AVEC LE MONDE
WE EXIST THROUGH COMPROMISE WITH THE WORLD
A COTE DE NOUS, EN-DESSOUS DE NOUS, AU-DESSUS DE NOUS
NEXT TO US, BELOW US, ABOVE US
UN TEMPS OU LES CHOSES AVAIENT DE L'IMPORTANCE
A TIME WHEN THINGS MATTERS?
IL Y A QUELQUE CHOSE PLUTOT QUE RIEN
THERE IS SOMETHING RATHER THAN NOTHING
CE NE SONT PAS LES BOUTEILLES A LA MER QUI MANQUENT
WE HAVE ENOUGH MESSAGES IN A BOTTLE
LE LANGAGE NE VOUS CONNECTERA JAMAIS TOUT A FAIT AU MONDE
LANGUAGE WILL NEVER QUITE CONNECT YOU TO THE WORLD
Essential remanence, by Cécile Grémillet, 2017
As part of his project A door must be opened or not closed, Vittorio Santoro has installed nine flags in the city of Paris, and has placed one in the exhibition space of the Centre Pompidou. The installation Today I Haven’t Done Anything To Avoid The Inevitable (2017) is made up of multi-coloured flags on which are printed written aphorisms in capital letters.
The aphoristic form of the phrase summons the universality of its impact. Stylistically, its open structure gives it an ambiguous aspect. For example, the aphorism that states that “language will never quite connect [us] to the world” highlights the paradoxes of language at a time of hyper-communication. These thoughts need to be deciphered by the reader in order for him/her to grasp the plurality of their interpretative layers.
The flags placed in the public space are left free to the interpretation of the walker, but their presence also tends to unsettle. In an urban environment filled with signs, Vittorio Santoro’s flags sound as selfless invitations to dialogue.
The artist puts to one side the immediacy of the sign, in favour of sentences requiring meditation and that inscribe the receiver in a logic of detachment. Far from advertising or informative stimulus looking to provoke a reaction, the remanence of the aphorisms results in a thought process. This goes beyond the reading and finds interior repercussions with each reader.
By opposing this remanence to the haste of the city, Vittorio Santoro chooses to offer a break to the passer-by, a reflexive bubble that will take him/her away from the instantaneity of daily life for one moment. In order to do so, the walker mustn’t look at the asphalt disappearing under his/her feet, but lift his/her head towards the sky’s immensity.