COLLAGES

Манфреди Бенинати (Manfredi Beninati) является итальянский художник родился в Палермо (Сицилия) в 1970 году. Наиболее известные его картины и установки, его работа также включает в себя рисунки, скульптуры и видео. Он принимал участие в многочисленных выставках высокого профиля в Европе, Азии и Северной и Южной Америки, а также в важных международных мероприятий, таких как Венецианская Биеннале (2005 и 2009) и "Ливерпуль биеннале (2008).



ESFERA CRITICA

El arte nos revela misterios, la filosofía trata luego de explicárnoslos

Entrevista de Gema Melgar con Manfredi Beninati.

En declaraciones en su reciente inauguración de Dicembre 2039 dice "Desde los comienzos de mi carrera artística he hecho cosas para mí mismo, cuadros y esculturas que no tenía la intención de mostrar en ninguna parte..." Según tengo entendido, parte de estos cuadros 'privados' conforman esta exposición, ¿que le hizo cambiar de idea y mostrarlos?

El caso de esta exposición es bastante particular y la historia bastante larga. Empieza en el 2003 cuando hice el primer dibujo (lápiz y yeso / papel / panel de madera) de tamaño "muy" grande (260x300cm) que desde el principio iba a ser parte de una serie dedicada a mi familia. Lo que pasó entonces fue que mi galerista de Roma se lo dejó a un comisario para una exposición en la Royal Academy de Londres, sin que yo supiera nada... Este dibujo (Flavio y Palermo) nunca regresó a mi estudio (se lo compró Jay Joplin) y mi proyecto se quedó mutilado. Fue por esta razón que lo dejé más o menos ahí, hasta hace un par de años. Flavio era mi hermano, que murió en el 2006, y yo quería que se volviera a juntar con su familia. Hicimos esta muestra para que esto pasara. Como ves fue algo fuera de mi control y tuve que adaptarme a las circunstancias...

Conversation with Raimundas Malasauskas - part 2

What follows is the second of three conversations on the same subject between Raimundas Malasauskas and Manfredi Beninati that took place on the 4th of february 2011while the two of them stood in front of a random painting at Manfredi's studio in Palermo for over an hour. Raimundas recorded the conversation on his mobile phone. Later on somebody transcribed the whole thing word by word. It is here presented just the way it came out of th recording without any editing being done to it.
It is perhaps more interesting from a psychoanalytic point of view than it might be from artistic one.



RAIMUNDAS: It is interesting for me to find out is how the painting starts…

MANFREDI: It started with a blank canvas

R: Do you usually keep blank canvas white or do you have tinted background?

M: Yes, most of the time background first and then start sketching the subject.

R: In the old painting they used to put different shades in the background, it wasn't just white, it was ochre, grey… Do you remember what was the background of this painting?

Conversation with Raimundas Malasauskas - part 1

What follows is the first of three conversations on the same subject between Raimundas Malasauskas and Manfredi Beninati that took place on the 4th of february 2011while the two of them stood in front of a random painting at Manfredi's studio in Palermo for over an hour. Raimundas recorded the conversation on his mobile phone. Later on somebody transcribed the whole thing word by word. It is here presented just the way it came out of th recording without any editing being done to it.
It is perhaps more interesting from a psychoanalytic point of view than it might be from artistic one.


RAIMUNDAS: So you wrote about the work that didn’t exist?

MANFREDI: Yes.

R: What did you write it for?

M. Just for myself.

R. Was it in any way different from the works that exist?
M. No, I think it was kind of separating from the kind work I was producing at that time. It was two years ago and of course they change, your style normally changes a little bit. So you go through stages: sometimes my paintings were more neat and minimal, although much more confusing than this one

the White Review

Manfredi Beninati Interviewed by Lowenna Waters.  (click here for original article)

You have described the process of working on 30 – 40 drawings at a time as ‘an organisation of the imagination’, please comment on your creative process.

To me art is about sharing your personal experiences with the rest of the world. Therefore the difference between a good (significant) artist and a bad (insignificant) one derives also (maybe even mainly, i would say) from the quantity of yourself you let into your work. Personal experiences translate into memories resulting from a period of time during which you have learnt something that allow you to discern in a more sofisticated way than before. The same applies to a work of art. You need time to develope something not necessarily pleasing to the others but strongly personal. Something that even just in one single detail shows a hidden spot of our reality through the imposition of your point of view, through trying not to let the other's expectations influence your work. I think you need to spend time with your work and develope a narrative through time, and that's why i'm constantly working on so many drawings, paintings, sculptures at once. I keep each one with me for months or even years.
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There is a restless emotional dichotomy in your work – a tension between serenity and anxiety. Is it something to do with your interest in being as objective as possible?

Exactly... in life we experience good things and bad things. They are all necessary events in the making of ourselves, so we should treat both, goodness and badness (or serenity and anxiety) with the same amount of care and respect. Maybe one day we wake up to find out that the roles have inverted, that good is bad and vice versa. that's always possible.
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