Millenanni Terzo Anno
Henri Chopin. Visiva Utopia
Curated by Giovanni Fontana, Giuseppe Morra e Patrizio Peterlini
9 April – 31 July 2024
Casa Morra. Archivi d’Arte Contemporanea
Salita San Raffaele 20/c, 80136 Napoli
On the occasion of the Third Year of Millenanni, Fondazione Donnaregina per le Arti Contemporanee, in collaboration with Fondazione Morra, in the context of Progetto XXI, unveils on 9 April 2024 the exhibition Henri Chopin. Visiva Utopia (ENG “Henri Chopin. Visual Utopia”).
As an artist of remarkable experimentation in the field of the international neoavanguardia (New Vanguard), Henri Chopin (Paris, 1922 – London, 2008) ushers his path into the great cultural ferment of “concrete poetry”. In the landscape of verbo-visual research in the second post-war period, Chopin fits fully as an important figure in relation to the specific movement of “sound poetry”, and yet his career cannot be encompassed within a single experience. Audio-poèmes (Audio-poems), voice recordings of deformation and distortion of the voice through magnetophon, dactylo-poèmes (Type-poems), typographic practice and exploration of the formal framework of the word, but also performance art experiences, editorial and pamphlet writing, film directing, theoretical and theatrical writing. Henri Chopin corrupts every prescriptive mode in his practice of life, and proceeds in horizontal research as compared with the fields of lexicon, acoustics and grammar, breaking the automatic relationships between them. The word is at degree zero, the voice restores its sonorous body, favouring the signifier over the semantic. Sensoriality prevails upon the relational sense of the verb.
The exhibition is not exclusive to the observation of the artistry of Chopin, but is organised as a symposium between converging, but not standardised figures from the neo-avant-garde movements. Paul de Vree and Bernard Heidsieck, close to Chopin and equally associated with the experience of the “poésie sonore”, are present in the exhibition; together with them, the most representative names of the season of visual poetry in Italy: Eugenio Miccini, Lamberto Pignotti, Arrigo Lora Totino, Ugo Carrega, Stelio Maria Martini, Luigi Tola, Rodolfo Vitone, Michele Perfetti, Luciano Caruso and Giovanni Fontana. Situated in a network of synaesthetic interchange between artists from the collective experiences of Gruppo 63, Gruppo 70, Gruppo Tool, as well as deriving from the editorial framework of the publications Documento Sud and Linea Sud, the extent of Chopin retains its distinctiveness. His investigation, characterised by the phonetic dismantling of language, emerges and enters into a dialogue of poietic and poetic confrontation with other artists. A section of documents, curated by Domenico Mennillo, presents, as a corollary to the exhibition, some materials contained in the Henri Chopin Archive housed in the Casa Morra spaces: invitations, posters, photographs, letters and preparatory writings for texts and performances, magnetic tapes, records and audio cassettes.
The collaboration between Fondazione Morra and Henri Chopin has been well established since the 1980s, and found its expression through productions of miscellaneous nature, supporting Chopin in his research with regards to verbal-visual scores. Moreover, through the publication of his works in Italian translation, including “L’ultimo romanzo del mondo” (“The Last Novel of the World”) ([1961], Edizioni Morra, Naples, 1984), “La Conferenza di Yalta” (“The Conference of Yalta”) ([1984] Edizioni Morra, Naples, 1987) or “Il gambero cosmografico” (“The Cosmographic Lobster”) and “Il granchiolino innamorato” (“The Little Crab in love”) ([1965 and 1967], Edizioni Morra, Naples, 1994) published by the same Foundation, the fellowship between Giuseppe Morra and Henri Chopin acquired further consistency.
During the days of 9, 10 and 11 April, Henri Chopin. Visiva Utopia (ENG “Henri Chopin. Visual Utopia”) will be supported by the interventions of Giovanni Fontana and Patrizio Peterlini, exhibition curators, Angela Tecce, President of Fondazione Donnaregina per le Arti Contemporanee, Eva Elisa Fabbris, Director of Museo Madre, Cecilia Bello Minciacchi, professor of Contemporary Italian Literature at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Barbara Meazzi, professor in 20th century Italian Literature and Civilisation at the University of Nice, Domenico Mennillo, scientific curator of the Archives at Fondazione Morra, Girolamo De Simone, musician and cultural agitator, Domenico Napolitano (SEC_), sound artist, Mario Franco, film critic and creator of the homonymous archive within the Foundation, and Barbara Anceschi, Greek scholar and editorial director of Edizioni del Verri. In parallel, the critical lectures will be accompanied by performances by the duo “Acchiappashpirt” (Jonida Prifti and Stefano Di Trapani), Umberto Petrin.
From April to July, a special program of twelve film screenings will be presented in the spaces of Archivio Mario Franco to interact with the historical period analyzed.
The intermedial artistic production of Henri Chopin triggers a further exploration of the avant-garde current related to visual poetry and the use of words in all its declinations. Fondazione Morra intends to position itself as a subject of connection, stitching together parallel experiences and foreshadowing possible avenues of research for the future.
Progetto XXI is the platform through which Fondazione Donnaregina per le Arti Contemporanee has aimed, since 2012, to explore on the one hand the emerging artistic production, in its theoretical-practical realization, and on the other hand the most seminal artistic practices of the last decades, in their exemplary methodological proposal. The project thus contributes to the production and dissemination of alternative narratives and historiographies of the contemporary and to the definition of a regional contemporary arts system based on collaboration and interchange between public and private institutions operating in the Campania region.
The exhibition is funded as part of the project “Rilancio e sostegno della Fondazione Donnaregina- Sez. Progetto XXI” – POR FERS Campania 2014/2020
Henri Chopin. Visiva Utopia
(Henri Chopin. Visual Utopia)
Programme of events
Tuesday 9 April
6 p.m. Henri Chopin. Visiva Utopia (ENG. Henri Chopin. Visual Utopia)
Interventions by: Angela Tecce, President Fondazione Donnaregina per le Arti Contemporanee
Eva Elisa Fabbris, Director Museo Madre
Barbara Anceschi, Editorial director Edizioni del Verri
Giovanni Fontana, Director Fondazione Berardelli
Patrizio Peterlini, Director Fondazione Bonotto
Giuseppe Morra, Director Fondazione Morra
8 p.m. VOCÈMI Dismisure foniche e lallazioni randagie per Henri Chopin
Poietic performance by Giovanni Fontana
Wednesday 10 April
6 p.m. Henri Chopin. Archivio visivo e performativo (ENG. Henri Chopin. Visual and performative archive)
Interventions by: Domenico Mennillo, Scientific curator Archivi Casa Morra
Domenico Napolitano (SEC_), composer of concrete and electroacoustic music
Barbara Meazzi, Université Côte d’Azur – du son dans les oreilles: Henri Chopin e i tentacoli del Verbo
7 p.m. Secret Performance
Performance by duo Acchiappashpirt (Jonida Prifti and Stefano di Trapani)
8 p.m. Liturgie du Souffle
Performance by Girolamo De Simone, piano and electronics
Thursday 11 April
6 p.m. Henri Chopin. Attuale Utopia (ENG. Henri Chopin. Current Utopia)
Interventions by: Patrizio Peterlini – Henri Chopin: l’utopista del linguaggio
Cecilia Bello Minciacchi – La forza della voce. Chopin, Vicinelli, Balestrini
Giancarlo Alfano – Sonorità, visività, cut-up: vie della poesia tra Henri Chopin e Nanni Balestrini
Stefania Zuliani
8 p.m. LA VOCE IN SITUAZIONE Teoria e pratica della vocalità per testo e pianoforte jazz
Voice streams: Giovanni Fontana
Piano: Umberto Petrin
6.30 p.m. La macchina fagocitante di Henri Chopin
Performance by Domenico Napolitano (SEC_)