“The Artist is Present” –An art exhibition on imitation and originality
“The copy is the original” is the central theme of the exhibition “The Artist is Present.” It is presented by Alessandro Michele, the creative director of Gucci, and Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. Designing for more than a decade, Michele frequently cuts and reconstructs fabrics to create fashionable clothes for people around the world. During his career, he found that although people use the same object as a prototype, that object would become unique after adding different elements and colors. In order to demonstrate the relationship between imitation and originality to the public, Michele collaborated with Cattelan and 30 other artists for this exhibition.
“The Artist is Present” is displayed at the Yuz Museum from October 1st to December 16th, 2018. After walking into the grand building of the museum, the viewers could feel the strong, artistic atmosphere of the interior designs, setting up an exciting start for the exhibition. As they enter the vacant passageway surrounded by white walls with blue and pink lighting, they are guided to a huge room with a series of enormous sculptures with unrecognizable objects, a long path in a greenhouse, and a mini-chapel.
Among the unique pieces of this exhibition, “The Bathroom” piqued the interest of many viewers. “The Bathroom” looks exactly the same as any other bathrooms that are used daily, complete with a sink and faucet. However, there is a meaning behind this scene. According to a staff member, this bathroom is an exact copy of the one in the EU building. By replicating the EU bathroom, the artists imply that all people, regardless their and power and status, share common basic needs. This piece makes a powerful statement on equality.
Continuing down the passageway, viewers come to a bright room with small objects, such as animals and Gucci bags, made of ceramics and Lego. A wall of postcards is the most interesting aspect of this room. According to the guide, although the pictures on the cards are the landscapes from other countries, all of them had “SHANGHAI” printed at the bottom to emphasize the location of this exhibition. This wall of postcards show us that regardless of how small the change is, the final product always refelcts the artist’s original thought process.
Finally, the viewers come to a wall displaying a Hollywood landscape. This is a piece that both relates to the theme and shows Cattelan’s humorous personality. The guide explained that there was a “fake“ Hollywood in Venice, and it was a popular place for people to have fun. Cattelan, also an Italian citizen, found it interesting and copied the Venice Hollywood for this exhibition. Thus, the Hollywood landscape has now been copied twice! The guide also pointed to a “New York Times” postbox, stating that stories written in the newspapers are all about copied art instead of world news.
“The Artist is Present” is an unforgettable exhibition. Each artwork successfully supported Michele and Cattelan’s belief of art: the copy is original. Indeed, art involves both imitation and creation, just like Cattelan said, “Creativity, to me, has always been related to the skill of sharing and editing since the very beginning of art history.”
Featured Image- Viewers in “The Art is Present” courtesy of Viviana Feng
by Selina Tai