Maurizio Nannucci

Maurizio Nannucci presents at the Galleria Fumagalli, Bergamo, a series of new pieces entitled Neon Words: seven large words in monochrome luminous writing stride across the gallery’s entire space, enveloping it in coloured reflexes and creating a unitary route that makes a statement about the semantic polyvalence of colour, light and language.

SHOCK LOOK / HEAR EXPLORE / VISION / MIND / PERCEPTION

SHOCK is the key word of the seven-part neon installation. Referring to Walter Benjamin’s philosophy Maurizio Nannucci places the „Shock“ (W.B.) as a central category of perception in the centre of the space and points to the two-sided effect of a provocative, abrupt focussing of the senses: on the one hand deep fright that can be paralyzing, on the other hand stimulation of the senses and activation of action by the confrontation with an unexpected situation.

LOOK / HEAR - Temporarily the shock overwhelms eye and ear to subsequently turn the provocation into new, yet unknown experiences. This transition from momentary blinding of the senses to clarification of experiences distinguishes the shock, as a device in art, from the exploitation of „shocking“ as calculated for effect and stimulus satiation in today’s consumer society. A shocking work of art prevents repetition and recognition of the familiar, metamorphoses continuity into discontinuity and diverts attention to levels of experience outside standardized categories. Thus, the artist explores the possibilities to liberate himself from the constraints to reproduce conventions, to invoke myths and to celebrate rituals. Regarded from this perspective the shock as artistic cultural technique has an emancipatory aspect. But the shock always guards its two faces. The shocked person can be overwhelmed by the impetus of unexpected, forceful stimulation and plunge disorientated into the void, or the stimulus satiation is exploited for the pure deception of the viewer, a danger that is generally present. On the occasion of this tight-rope walk between disorientation and reorientation Maurizio Nannucci leads shocking experiences to the process of visionary perception in order to display the abundance of the semantic potential of meaning and signs.

Pressetext

Maurizio Nannucci "Neon Words”