Elisa Giuliano – Il Libro d’Oro del Tutt’altro
Mostra personale.
Comunicato stampa
Il Libro d'Oro del Tutt'altro is the result of a research project by Elisa Giuliano, commissioned by Almanac and carried out in collaboration with the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the University of Turin (MAET), the Associazione Figli della Miniera di Macugnaga (Sons of the Mines Association), the residency center Lavanderia a Vapore in Collegno, and drag artist Gianfranco Colla aka FRANCAFUNGO.
Through an exhibition and a theatrical play, Il Libro d'Oro del Tutt'altro traces in Almanac's spaces an inventory of the symbolic, mythical and ritual backgrounds that, over the centuries, have reintegrated certain Piedmontese peoples—often invisible to viewers of official Italian past—into a story, or at least into one of many possible stories. Although inspired by the famous Libro d’Oro della Nobiltà Italiana (Golden Book of Italian Nobility), the golden book collected by Giuliano is a parody aimed at the failure to recognize the gold miners of Monte Rosa, the artists interned in the Royal Asylum in Collegno, and the young anti-capitalist singers of Magliano Alfieri who have been spontaneously gathering since the 1960s to re-celebrate the eternal return.
Combining natural history with the political history of Piedmont, in a theatrical style devoted to behind-the-scenes, Elisa Giuliano showcases three tales of cultural autonomy, tracing their common traits of rebellion and survival. Materials from the Miner's House Museum in Pestarena (Macugnaga), Gianfranco Colla's papier-mâché masks inspired by the work of Mario Bertola, a patient in Collegno, and voices and symphonies of a spontaneous choir from the fertile Tanaro River plain, compose Il Libro d'Oro del Tutt'altro that, like a poem in which names become stories, expresses the fascination with forbidden things, with practices that transgress moral codes, with the distinctions we use to make sense of the world, and especially with the conventional way we tell stories.
1 June, h. 20:00
Performance by Elisa Giuliano and FRANCAFUNGO
Elisa Giuliano
Elisa Giuliano is a curator, researcher and theatre maker. She is currently a lecturer at MA Curatorial Studies at ZHdK in Zurich. In 2022, she co-curated with Anselm Franke, Denise Ryner, Claire Tancons and Zairong Xiang the exhibition Ceremony (Burial of an Undead World) at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) in Berlin. In 2020, she was a fellow at Ocean Space – TBA21 Academy in Venice, and in 2018 at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam. In 2019, Giuliano was part of the artistic team of the exhibition projects I-DEA and Blind Sensorium in Matera, European Capital of Culture 2019. Her writings have appeared in publications such as NERO, Dirty Furniture, MUdec United and Arts of the Working Class
Gianfranco Colla
Gianfranco Colla is a visual artist and drag performer with a background in fashion communication. They graduated from Central Saint Martins (UAL) in 2016. Since moving back to Italy in 2018 they have been working with sculpture, illustration and performance through their drag persona FRANCAFUNGO. As a stylist and art director they have collaborated with C.O.R.I.A.N.D.O.L.I Magazine, Boyrebecca, Vogue.it and SHOWstudio. Their work as been shown in Associazione Barriera in Turin , ADI Design Museum, Spazio Marea in Milan and TAM (Tower Art Museum) in Matera. As FRANCAFUNGO they are a recurrent guest performer at Masseria Wave in Lecce, Drama Milano, Venus Club in Napoli and FoolHard in Bologna.
In partnership with Museo di Antropologia e Etnografia dell’Università di Torino (MAET), Associazione Figli della Miniera di Macugnaga, Lavanderia a Vapore - Center of Dance Residency, and Gianfranco Colla.
Almanac Inn is supported by Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione CRT and Regione Piemonte..
