ISAAC CHONG WAI:
Post-Mythical Accidents
Commissioned by Fondazione Elpis and in collaboration with Galleria Continua
26 Jun till 18 Sept 2022
Castiglione di Sicilia
The third edition of Una Boccata d’Arte begins from 25th June to 18th September 2022 - a widespread contemporary art project by Fondazione Elpis, in collaboration with Galleria Continua and with the participation of Threes Productions, takes place throughout Italy and promotes a coming together of contemporary art with the country’s artistic and scenic heritage through art installations, exhibitions and performances by 20 artists in 20 villages, one for each region.
The village of Castiglione di Sicilia (CT) in Sicily will welcome Post-Mythical Accidents by the artist Isaac Chong Wai, a site-specific intervention inspired by the history and the identity of the village, conceived after a short residency period.
Post-Mythical Accidents is a widespread project of five installations that intertwine reality, myth, religion and magic. Isaac Chong Wai: “Nature, religions, myths and beliefs can never be explained without the desires and needs of man. If I delve into the history of Castiglione di Sicilia, I see the trace of religion and mythology. The country's culture, history and religion intersect with its geographical location at the foot of Mount Etna, a living volcano that threatens potential disasters and accidents. On the basis of local myths, for each work of art I have created post-myths that connect religious or architectural objects, designed to satisfy people's spiritual, physical and political desires, with the stories of the mythological characters of Etna such as Vulcan, Cyclops, Typhon, Odysseus and Zeus. When our supposed world of reality is explained through myths whose character contains something irrational, it is as if an accident is generated. Reflecting on the creation of myths and the power of narratives integrated into a religious, cultural or political context, I am interested in underlining the absurdity of an anthropocentric approach, committed to the attempt to control nature and the immanence that instead distinguishes the indomitable essence of nature itself".
Una Boccata d’Arte started in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic: a unanimous and original project that’s akin to a unique cultural itinerary that each year invites the public to discover 20 new Italian villages, rich with centuries old traditions and natural beauty. Thanks to their small size, these villages become the perfect place for an authentic and intimate contemporary art experience that is unique for the surprising dialogue that it generates between the surrounding area, the artworks, the local people and the visitors. The installations contribute to an increase in local tourism; they are aimed at a broad and diverse audience, inviting us to rediscover the history and beauty of Italy, with a fresh perspective.
“Una Boccata d'Arte is a widespread project that involves local communities in beauty and culture throughout Italy. Since its conception in the midst of the pandemic, this project was proven to consolidate its original purpose of encouraging local communities and the art world, in order to gather together a network of artists, curators, associations and local entities today, that increases year by year”, explains Marina Nissim, President of Fondazione Elpis. “With the participation of several artists from abroad in this upcoming third edition, an open dialogue between Italy and the current international situation is instated”.
Maurizio Rigillo, Director of Galleria Continua: “The villages and the artists are at the core of the project which derives from a careful observation of the history and landscape of the former, and the research and work of the latter. The artists who visited and stayed into the villages for the very first time had the chance to have meaningful dialogues from which art projects and site-specific interventions were conceived. These values of generating encounters and dialogues have led us to research and involve three Ukrainian artists, who are different in personal experiences and artistic languages and have empowered this third edition of Una Boccata d'Arte by sharing their testimony and presenting their projects”.
From emerging artists to well-known names, the artists selected for their talent and research have been invited to conceive 20 site-specific interventions inspired by the history and identity of the villages. After a short residency period, supported in each project phase by a local coordinator, they have created twenty projects that cover many different art forms, from painting to sculpture, photography, video, sound and performance, the result of dialogue and encounter with the inhabitants and local artisans.
Una Boccata d’Arte is a unique exhibition experience that leads the public to embark on an extraordinary journey to discover contemporary art and the most authentic heritage of our country. It’s a real open-air museum that year after year offers an unprecedented cultural experience that’s for everyone: not only for professionals but most importantly for curious visitors and art lovers.
Text by Giulia Pollicita
Post-Mythical Accidents is a widespread public work by Berlin-based artist Isaac Chong Wai who investigates the layered complexity inscribed in the landscape of eastern Sicily. Intertwining reality, myth, religion and magic, Chong's intervention unfolds in a series of installations scattered around the village of Castiglione di Sicilia.
Observing the wonder and constant fear of living at the foot of Mount Etna - source of life and constant threat of uncertain benevolence at the same time - the artist reflects on how the uncontrollable force of nature shapes a sense of immanence in human thought and behavior. Taking refuge in myth, faith or superstition, we try to scoff at fate and explore the mystery of nature. By forcing the unexplainable into the creation of myths and narratives, human beings pigeonhole what they cannot foresee within an anthropocentric vision.
The installations Accidental Confessional and Lightless Chandelier investigate the persistence of myth and religion, intertwining traces of Homer with the Christian tradition.
Accidental Lava Stone got stuck in a Bus Stop and Accidental Lava Stone hits a Facist Ornament connect with the Mediterranean legend of Ulysses and Polyphemus and the myth of the Faraglioni from Acitrezza, interacting with the surrounding area and recent history.
Shangai (2022), well-known as Mikado game in Italy, represents the scene in which mystification, exoticism and different cultures alternate without rules, depending on an order set by the real and the unreal, history and myth, religion and the primitive instinct of survival.
In this context, the "post-mythical" represents a hybrid area where the rules of reality are suspended and a new order is established by narrative, fiction, fantasy and magic.
Acknowledgments
Marina Nissim, Bruno Barsanti, Maurizio Rigillo, the staff of Fondazione Elpis and Galleria Continua, Serena Guarino, Elisabetta Negroni, Antonio Camarda - Mayor of Castiglione di Sicilia, Michele La Rosa, Don Orazio Greco, Moiz Zilberman, Zilberman Gallery, Renato Leotta, Istituto Sicilia, Paolo Fontana, Lotte Laub, Gizem Demirçelik, Leo Gerstberger, Isidoro Mazza and Anna Mignosa, Mariavittoria Capodicasa, Annalaura Capodicasa and Sergio Pollicita.
Photo taken by: Luca Guarnieri