Overview
Solo Se Sei Mago was one of two works that Lara Favaretto presented at Sharjah Biennial 9. A large cube of white confetti stood in the centre of one of the gallery spaces in Sharjah Art Museum. Its initial form alluded to the crisp structures of minimalism, however over the course of the Biennial the cube’s rigid shape slowly eroded and disintegrated. With each passing visitor and flow of air, the cube would shed pieces of confetti, which gradually spread throughout the gallery.
Confetti is usually thrown by guests at celebrations such as weddings, however Favaretto subverts its use to create a stark and sombre installation that becomes an unlikely memento mori. A common theme in Favaretto’s work is the notion of disappearance or subtraction. As she explains, 'I’ve always tried to sustain the possibility of destroying the form and reducing the work itself to a "common object," as well as how it’s possible to make an exhibition without making one – projecting and encouraging its use in order to obtain the acceleration of its obsolescence.'
Artist’s quotation from Provisions, Book 1, catalogue for Sharjah Biennial 9.
2009
This project was part of Sharjah Biennial 9
Project Images
Solo se sei il Mago (Only if You Are A Magician)
Lara Favaretto
2006
Confetti installation
Dimensions variable
Installation view
Commissioned and produced by Sharjah Art Foundation
Photo by Alfredo Rubio
Related
Favaretto, Lara
Italian Artist Lara Favaretto provokes and engages her audiences with work that is both playful and celebratory while paradoxically evoking the inevitability of failure and decay.
Sharjah Biennial 9: Provisions Book I
Published to accompany Sharjah Biennial 9, Provisions is an experimental catalogue approaching the space of the book as an art project.
Sharjah Biennial 9: Provisions Book II
The second book in the Provisions series looks at the experience of taking part in and attending a biennial.