The Beautiful Minds is an exhibition project that narrates events and singularities in the lives of two men. These are Carlo and Antonio, they are my cousins and they are autistic. A story is made of memories, feelings, routines, and objects that make them who they are shaping their identity. The glitch becomes the metaphor for autism. Interpreting in art the glitch as an opportunity rather than a limit, just another ability of machines to work differently from the "standards", an important counter-narrative of failures and errors, essential in the application and the development of art practices and artistic communities, based on this experience we could improve a new understanding, and relationship, with autistic people. Enhancing the artistic value of machines' failures could help us in taking a different approach toward autism too. As we reveal the qualities of glitchy machines, so we could of people with autism. We should shift our minds in terms of defining and especially approaching, people with autism and other mental conditions. We should start to talk about ability and not disability. Enable people and not disable them. Installations, animations, videos, and digital prints become the opportunity to tell the life of those who hardly have channels and space to tell their stories.
This is the story of Carlo and Antonio, but it is also my story. We are family.
I am looking for a place where to bring this show. Please contact me at rockmyworld@dombarra.art for enquire.
Interested in buying artwork from this project? Please contact me at rockmyworld@dombarra.art for enquire.
The Beautiful Minds [1 & 2] (2019) - 2 x UV digital prints on white plexiglass, 70cm x 50cm - Artist copy, limited edition 5 + 1.
The Beautiful Minds (2019) - Their mind is what makes Carlo and Antonio two unique individuals. The concept of this show starts from here, from their head, from their being "differently present". But it's not a show about autism. It is a journey through memories where memory is the common thread of their story and where new media are the language, the glitch is the color but also the metaphor of this living, of this particular "journey". It is a portrait of two people, two beautiful minds. Their way of thinking, communicating, being, and existing. Something that goes beyond clinical diagnosis and "pictures".
The Beautiful Minds - Digital glitch images (databending) on digital collage posts produced with Photoshop CC.
Electric Buddha (2019) - Sitting on the ground with his legs crossed, surrounded by playing cards, Carlo as a child found in this position his ideal situation, his favorite pastime and in this position he looked like a little Buddha who had reached the Nirvana. It was a joy for him and it was also a joy for us to see him like that. A luminous smile, a mesmerizing sight, a light of hope in our hearts.
Electric Buddha (2019) - Video Installation (Site Specific) - Animation created with Atagen script for Processing on digital glitch image (databending) post produced with Photoshop Cc and Illustrator CC projected on a semi-transparent sheet, playing cards. Electric Buddha, digital glitch image (databending) on collage post produced with Photoshop CC and Illustrator CC.
Electric Buddha (2019) - UV
digital prints on white plexiglass, 70cm x 50cm - Artist copy, limited
edition 5 + 1. Artist copy is part of Mapils Gallery (Napoli, Italy) private collection.
Bumble_Bee (2019) - Video Projection (Site Specific) - Generative animation programmed with “perlin noise” algorithm for Processing projected on wall.
Bumble_Bee (2019) - In adulthood Carlo got up from the floor and started wandering around, moving from one point to another as if he is chasing one thought after another around these places, among us, among people.
Bumble_Bee (2019) - Concept and code developed with the contribution by Nick Briz.
Day by Day, Everyday (2019) - Installation, 1.30m (C) x 37cm (A) - Digital printing on pressed cardboard puzzle die-cut (70cm x 50cm), inflatable pool, 5000 capsules type 00 white and red - Puzzle , digital glitch image (databending) on digital collage post produced with Photoshop CC. Artist copy, limited edition 5 + 1.
Day after day, everyday (2019) - A small swimming pool, besides being a recreation, had a calming therapeutic use and served to contain the moments of crisis and unfortunately it did not always work. In adulthood, therapy to contain moments of crisis has become pharmacological, and even this is not always enough. A strict routine, made of activities and other methodical habits, serve to contain and support a very vulnerable and fragile tranquility and security.
Day by Day, Everyday (2019) - Details - Digital
printing on pressed cardboard puzzle die-cut (70cm x 50cm), inflatable
pool, 5000 capsules type 00 white and red - Puzzle , digital glitch image
(databending) on digital collage post produced with Photoshop CC.
Erasing Scars [1 & 2 & 3 & 4] (2019) - 4 x UV digital prints on white plexiglass, 50cm x 70cm - Artist copy, limited edition 5 + 1. The artist copy of artwork Erasing Signs 3 was sold and it is now part of a private collection. Other artist copies are available.
Erasing Scars - In most cases the crises were unpredictable. It was difficult to understand their malaise or discomfort, it was even more difficult for them saying what they were feeling. But even those crisis attacks that could had been foreseen, most of the time ended out of control and it was complicated to explain to them the reasons of a lack of something, of an unexpected event occurring, of a change of plans in the rigid routine and for them it was complex to understand why and adapt to changes because those changes caused a malaise, a discomfort, a loss of security, as if they had lost reference points in space and time, lost trust in us, their family. Signs of those crisis remain on our skin. And on our mind. Painful memories that will be for ever.
Erasing Scars [1 & 2 & 3 & 4] (2019) - Digital glitch images (databending) from original digital photos post produced with Photoshop CC.
Life is just a journey into the memory's valley (2019) - Installation, 30cm x 60cm x 10cm - 2 x photo albums 30cm x 30cm, Fiat 126 Red Welly model scale 1/24, 16 x photographic prints on satin art paper 10cm x 13cm.
Life is just a journey into memory's valley (2019) - Thinking in images, remembering in images. Photographs are a fundamental memory support. As if the photos are an extension of the brain. Antonio owns so many photos, as many as the memories that crowd his mind. These memories are really many, he remembers events that we have totally forgot. Often those memories are confused and go at an impressive speed that is certainly not the same speed that an old Fiat 126 can reach, despite being red as a Ferrari. But this "Fiat 126 Rossa" is precious than a Ferrari because allows Antonio to undertake a journey into his mind among memories, every time since ages ago. A constant point of reference to remember places, events and people. A car that belonged to my father and that we have not owned for more than thirty years, after such a long time and many other cars, it still is Antonio's favorite car, the vehicle he uses to travel among his memories. Antonio gets in this car, that he probably has never abandoned, then invites us to travel with him across the memories of his life. In every meeting and phone calls this Fiat 126 Rossa is there with us. Antonio wants to keep every memory alive but to do this he needs help, he needs this Fiat 126 Rossa to start remembering, to start every time a new journey into the valley of his memory.
Life is just a journey into the memory's valley (2019) - Detail of artwork - Digital glitch edit (pixeldrifiting) applied on analogue photos digitized via scan post produced with Photoshop CC.
The Thinkers [Processing - Buffering] (2019) - 2 x UV digital prints on white plexiglass, 50cm x 70cm - Artist copy, limited edition 5 + 1.
The Thinkers [Processing - Buffering] (2019) - Carlo and Antonio, you can often meet them absorbed in their thoughts. Moments of break from what they do, as if they are isolating themselves and moving away from everything and everyone. As if they are elaborating memories, emotions, or ideas and informations. They are sitting there watching the world around them, looking towards the horizon or observing the people who walk by, who talk. And if you ask them "what are you thinking of?", They smile slyly or answer that they are thinking of nothing, as if they have a secret they do not want to reveal, a vanity to hide. I don't know what I'd give to know what goes through their mind in these moments, I would probably give everything to know.
The Thinkers [Processing - Buffering] (2019) - Digital glitch images (databending) on digital collage post produced with Photoshop CC.
The Clouds (2019) - A/V installation (Site Specific) - Tricycle Globo for children, video 1920 x 1080 codec H264 format .mp4 - Video glitch (databending) mounted and post produced with Premier Pro CC. Audio track "Sogno N.1 - Le Nuvole" by Fabrizio De Andrè, London Symphony Orchestra.
The Clouds (2019) - The Beautiful Minds takes inspiration from a photo, and it couldn't be otherwise. This photo shows Antonio, who was about four years old, riding his tricycle towards the camera and he mimics the movement of a bird's wing with an arm as if he were about to fly, happy and free. Antonio grew up, and he never played with that tricycle again. Many moments have passed since that gesture was immortalized on paper. Many moments as many are the clouds passed over our heads. Many like the memories in the "cloud" of our memory. If this story, this journey, could have a soundtrack, it would certainly be this music. This melody that accompanied our travels by car and that after so many years, despite everything, still makes us move, makes us still feel alive and free.
The audio track of the video is "Sogno N.1 - Le Nuvole" by Fabrizio De Andrè, London Symphony Orchestra.
The Clouds (2019) - Video
glitch (databending) post produced with Premier Pro CC.
Audio track "Sogno N.1 - Le Nuvole" by Fabrizio De Andrè, London
Symphony Orchestra.