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A bridge between worlds: identity and memory at FI...

A bridge between worlds: identity and memory at FIUTO Art Space with Radek Szlaga

The exhibition “Greatest Hits” by Radek Szlaga, curated by Alex Urso, transforms the FIUTO Art Space into a place of comparison between past and present, East and West. Open until March 1, 2025, this exhibition does not limit itself to showing unpublished works by the Polish painter, but invites visitors to reflect on universal questions related to identity and the relationship between personal and collective culture. Radek Szlaga, with his biography marked by emigration and living “between two worlds”, represents a perfect example of how art can be a mirror of cultural tensions and contradictions. His works, characterized by stratifications of materials, colors and symbols, are not simple representations, but real laboratories of ideas. Here nostalgia for Polish childhood and criticism of American consumer culture intertwine, two poles that the artist unmasks with irony and disenchantment

Alex Urso, photo credit Patrycja Adela Głusiec

Alex Urso, photo credit Patrycja Adela Głusiec

What is most striking is the visual and narrative energy that each work releases. The apparent chaos of his compositions – including drawings, paintings and sketchbooks – reflects the complexity of contemporary identity, balanced between globalization and local roots. Urso, with his curatorship, manages to create a path that amplifies this complexity, without ever losing sight of the coherence and emotional impact of Szlaga’s work. FIUTO Art Space proves to be the ideal context for an exhibition of this magnitude: intimate and welcoming, it allows for attentive and immersive enjoyment. The exhibition is not only a tribute to Szlaga, but also a platform for dialogue on themes that deeply touch our present. In the contemporary art scene, in fact, the role of the curator is fundamental to creating a dialogue between the works and the public. Alex Urso, curator of the exhibition “Greatest Hits” by Radek Szlaga at FIUTO Art Space, has been able to orchestrate a path that focuses on universal themes such as identity, memory and the comparison between cultures. In this interview, Alex Urso tells us about the behind the scenes of the exhibition, the hidden meanings of Szlaga’s works and his personal approach to curating. An opportunity to delve into the work of a prominent Polish artist and reflect on how art can question our present.

Radek Szlaga, “Greatest Hits”, installation view at FIUTO Art Space, 2024 - 2025. Photo Eric Olijnyk, courtesy FIUTO Art Space

Radek Szlaga, “Greatest Hits”, installation view at FIUTO Art Space, 2024 – 2025. Photo Eric Olijnyk, courtesy FIUTO Art Space

Antonella Buttazzo: How did you approach the relationship between the complexity of Radek Szlaga’s works and the exhibition audience?
Alex Urso: In each exhibition I try to offer the public useful, though not absolute, elements of interpretation to enter the project. As a curator, I suggest possible coordinates within which to move to understand what the artist wants to convey (in this case the themes of travel, intercultural conflict, the weight of politics in the definition of the self). Beyond these suggestions of mine, the rest is done by the spectator, who observes each work through the filter of his or her own subjective experience.

The exhibition presents unpublished works. What was the process behind the selection and installation?
Each artist hosted by FIUTO is personally involved in the choice of the works. There is obviously a selection phase by the curator, but in general each exhibition is the result of an exchange. In the case of Radek, the artist brought with him about twenty works created specifically for the project. I had followed their production remotely over the months, but I had the opportunity to see them only after his arrival in Italy from Los Angeles. The paintings are concentrations of signs, matter, stories. Since they are very charged, I opted for a layout that was as airy as possible, allowing each work the opportunity to express itself fully, without the risk of weighing down the exhibition path.

Radek Szlaga, “Confession”, mixed media on paper, 43 x 30 cm, 2024; “Szlagówka”, mixed media on paper, 43 x 30 cm, 2024, courtesy FIUTO Art Space

Radek Szlaga, “Confession”, mixed media on paper, 43 x 30 cm, 2024; “Szlagówka”, mixed media on paper, 43 x 30 cm, 2024, courtesy FIUTO Art Space

Diaspora and conflict between cultures are central themes in Szlaga’s work. Do you think his vision can offer a new point of view on our present?
Certainly being able to observe the reflections of an artist straddling two cultures, with all the sociological and political implications that this median condition entails, is an opportunity for the public to listen and therefore grow. Among all the works on display there is one that refers to an episode that occurred during the US invasion of Panama in the late 1980s: when, following the American occupation, dictator Manuel Noriega took refuge in the Vatican Nunciature, Bush’s troops played rock music at very high volume outside the apostolic seat to make the president come out of the shelter. It is a work inspired by an event from the past, dramatic and bizarre at the same time, but which also seems to speak to us of the present, given the fears of a new American colonization of the Panamanian territory. In this sense, yes, art cannot be the solution to certain issues, but it can certainly be a reading tool to understand our time.

For those looking for an artistic experience capable of intertwining aesthetics and reflection, “Greatest Hits” is a must. Not only to discover an international talent, but also to question the meaning of belonging and identity in a constantly changing world.

Info:

Radek Szlaga. “Greatest Hits”
curated by Alex Urso
07/12/2024 – 01/03/2025
FIUTO ART SPACE
Piazza Matteotti 13, Ripatransone (AP)
www.fiutoartspace.com


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