CONWITH is a bilingual word game that embodies the key principle of Salvatore Falci’s forty-year research in the field of visual arts: the necessity of the other in the act of artistic creation, co-presence as an essential element of the artwork. The artist studies and implements projects where he only plays a role in the preparation phase. The result is therefore never determined by the artist, but is created in a completely spontaneous and natural way by ordinary people while performing normal activities.
Falci believes in the importance of making the other visible, to witness the occurring of chance, which comes to life from the unwanted encounter between subject and object. For this reason, the artist is forced to elaborate processes which, at first glance, appear aseptic, far from the common idea of ​​an artwork. Only later, after human intervention, can they fully define themselves as Art. In this research, Salvatore Falci is not interested in sensational behaviors; the artist does not want to highlight what is extraordinary, but he focuses on noting banal and everyday behaviors. The studies on Vetri (Glasses) in 1984 and on Pavimenti (Floors) a couple of years later were born from this research path.
For this exhibition, the artist rethought the places of his artistic investigation installing the work Pavimento Oro Liceo Lorenzo Lotto (Gold Floor Liceo Lorenzo Lotto), 2019, in a school in Trescore (Bergamo) and the Pavimento Argento Smerigliatura Stillegno (Floor Silver Grinding Stilwood), 2019, in a factory: two spaces that welcome different lives and tell the story of the place without wanting to restore it. The exhibition itinerary shows the Casse di imballaggio (Packaging Crates), works in wood, masonite and wax that are a variant of the Floors, as well as five elements that were used to package the works sent by Stefano Fontana to the Venice Biennale in 1988. From this creative and behavioral line, the first Letti (Beds),1988, in synthetic sponge and velvet were born: sensitive works that faithfully record even a fingerprint and which are also available in the Puff variant (1989).
For CONWITH, the artist also decided to regenerate l’Erba del Ponte di Sant’Eufemia (Grass of Bridge of Sant’Eufemia), a work originally presented at the 1990 Biennale. The regeneration arises from the need to combine the experiences of the trace, beyond the physical presence in which a verifiable memory remains. This reflection originates from Ponte di Venezia (Bridge of Venice), 1990, where the artist sought to manifest the processes of dissemination and dispersion. Forex boards with a blend of sawdust and seeds cover the Sant’Eufemia bridge in Venice for 24 hours, subject to the whims of passersby who scatter and spread the mixture. Subsequently, the artist retrieves these panels, now imbued with unique characteristics, relocates them to a greenhouse, and nurtures them until lush grass sprouts forth, materializing a tangible representation of the bygone experience.
Salvatore Falci’s extensive career serves as a vantage point for observing human behavior — customs vary from one place to another, from one person to the next. Thus, the artist begins a study of these shifts in common practices, encapsulating them within the video installation Silent Communication (1998), presented within the exhibition as a seal to his silent yet persistent quest.