Today is 23rd July, and, everyday, the Aspiranti Aspiratoriexhibition by Sissi is being viewed by dozens of Chinese spectators and tourists (hundreds during the weekends) strolling around the lanes of Moganshan 50, where my gallery is located. The preparation of this exhibition was a very enjoyable experience, beginning with the preliminary conversations with Marcello Smarrelli and Deborah Carè, speculating about the possibility of bringing Sissi’s project to Shanghai, and then, throughout the whole process of making this idea come true, cooperating with Marco Vidali and his team at Elica China.
I liked the idea of sharing this experience with the Shanghai art community from the very start: this is a typical case of a large company funding and supporting a non-commercial project, and in some ways it reflects and represents our long (Italian) tradition and history of fruitful relationships between living artists and patrons.
For obvious reasons, as an Italian based in China, I felt that the biggest opportunity , one not to be missed, was to contribute to spreading Elica’s particular vision and approach, as here in China these days, artists, galleries, institutions and patrons are finding their own way through a thrilling pioneering stage of developing an art system.
I wish to thank all the people at Elica and the Fondazione Casoli for this exciting opportunity, sure that it will bring good results, at least by observing how easily local visitors are involved with the show, asking a lot of questions and taking a lot of photos of Sissi’s Aspiranti Aspiratori. f