Arriving at the penultimate exhibition of the RE-GENESIS cycle with two new artists interpreting the theme of the creation of man and woman
Marco Bertìn and Gabriele Rodriquez engage in a dialogue using photography and Artificial Intelligence.
The Garden of Delights, from the RE-GENESIS cycle, a dual exhibition that explores the economy and the evolution of the human condition
from October 6, 2024, to January 12, 2025.
Exhibition curated by Sandro Orlandi Stagl and Chiara Franceschini
Opening on October 6 from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Projects by ARTantide Gallery for the Ethical Art Movement.
The sixth exhibition in the RE-GENESIS cycle, The Garden of Delights, features two artists from the Ethical Art Movement (Marco Bertìn and Gabriele Rodriquez), who question themes regarding the degradation of the human being, both physically (due to aging or diseases, by interrogating Artificial Intelligence) and culturally, analyzing the excessive consequences of an economy overly reliant on consumerism.
Marco Bertìn, through a project that has taken up 5 years of his life, has produced an anthropological snapshot of contemporary prêt-à-porter fashion.
Every morning, he went to the same flea market, dressed, photographed, and undressed an original female-shaped mannequin without arms, a sort of modern Venus de Milo. Selecting clothes from the market stalls according to his own taste, Bertìn produced over 5,000 shots, 600 of which are exhibited at the museum, wrapping the original mannequin, now owned by the artist and part of the entire installation, in a 360° display. The grassy carpet recreates a sort of garden of a modern Eden, biblically reminding us that Eve was the first fashion model. The whirlwind of clothes worn and returned to the walls shows us how fashion is an irresistible mechanism that fuels consumerism, which leads to pollution, exploitation, and a constant sense of dissatisfaction and unfulfillment.
In a separate room, there is a true reproduction of a Venus de Milo in camouflage attire, symbolizing a clever yet ironic mechanism to camouflage and hide the timeless beauties of art and culture, to save them from destruction. This destruction, seen in many modern and past wars, depletes an artistic heritage that does not belong solely to the defeated but to all of humanity.
Gabriele Rodriquez reflects on the degradation of the human condition, succumbing to the relentless passage of time. Sooner or later, everyone faces the changes in their body due to illness, injuries, or simply aging.
Observing the changes in his own parents, the artist conducted an experiment by questioning Artificial Intelligence about this type of transformation. He did so by asking it to draw inspiration from the styles of the great masters of the 20th century and to create new images based on the physical decline, challenging a context that has nothing human except the creator's hand.
Following a path where the artist defines the boundaries, AI reaches a result that Rodriquez considers the most interesting given the provided inputs. He takes that image and prints it on canvas. From that moment on, his work as a painter begins and ends where AI alone would not have yet reached, painting over the work until it assumes its final form.
The artist uses AI as if it were an electronic brush, guiding it towards an unknown goal but controlling it at every step. In other words, Rodriquez experiments with this cybernetic path, discovering new frontiers and reaching the limits of AI to complete the journey with the vision of man.
The Garden of Delights
6th day, creation of man and woman
Guided tours of the Museum can be booked by calling the ticket office. Digital video audioguides are available at the ticket office for a voluntary donation.
We have activated a service dedicated to clients and collectors, who can ask direct questions to the artists and the curator through the exhibition organizer, by writing to: paolo.mozzo@artantide.com.
The Garden of Delights
From October 6, 2024, to January 12, 2025
Location: Museo Diocesano di Vicenza, Piazza Duomo, 12 - Vicenza
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Vernissage: October 5, 2024, 4:00 PM
Artists: Marco Bertìn, Gabriele Rodriquez
Artistic Director and Curator: Sandro Orlandi Stagl
Curator: Chiara Franceschini
Coordination and organization: Don Francesco Gasparini and Paolo Mozzo
Organizational Secretariat: Manuela Mantiero
Critical text authors: Don Francesco Gasparini, Chiara Franceschini, artist interviews by Sandro Orlandi Stagl, didactics by Filippo Bontempi
Brief Biography of Marco Bertìn
He creates spectacular installations with thousands of toys and proposes a Manifesto designed to instill a strong sense of criticism and reflection on consumerism (The Creative Market), highlighting how this economic mechanism is structured to exploit children's television programs, with the goal of building future generations of uncritical consumers.
Many of his projects analyze and dissect this theme, often spanning multiple years.
In the Made in China project, the artist has been collecting for over 10 years thousands of Western-designed toys that are strictly "Made in China." They become the protagonists of his red-background photographs with yellow ideograms inserted on the right, and above all, they are giving life to a gigantic work, a polyptych that could exceed 100 square meters, with the vast array of toys collected and photographed side by side; the work is still a work in progress.
In all areas of his research, his works are colorful and spectacular and serve as engaging contemporary relics. For example, classical statues painted with camouflage patterns to raise public awareness of the destruction of culture, perpetrated through wars, which are always indirect consequences of consumerist economies that constantly drive civilizations to conquer new markets and resources.
He has developed several other interesting series: Mixed Technique (dedicated to everything on road asphalt), Made in ChinArt (dedicated to the relationship between ancient painting and contemporary abstract art), Eva (dedicated to a vast overview of popular prêt-à-porter fashion), etc. All are multi-year projects.
Sintesi ristretta delle mostre personali e collettive recenti più importanti:
2012 NaturaLmente, 1° Biennale Italia - Cina, Villa Reale, Monza
Made in China, Museo Lissone, mostra personale, Lissone
2013 Pianeta Cina, Palazzo Te, Mantova
2014 Memory, 2° Biennale Italia - Cina, 798 Art District, Beijing, China
2015 Elisir di lunga vita, 3° Biennale Italia - Cina, Arca, Vercelli
2016 Metamorphosis, 4° Biennale Italia - Cina, Plastic Factory, Beijing, China
2017 Made in China, L’Arte Può, Ospedale di Sassuolo
2018 Percorso Arte Etica, ARTantide.com Gallery, Verona
ARTEOLOGIA, Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Venezia
2019 Oltre l’Etica, 14° Biennale di Curitiba, MUPA, Curitiba, Brasile
Mental Recycling, Science Gallery Venice, Università Ca’ Foscari, Polo San Giobbe, Venezia
2020 ARTEOLOGIA – Oltre l’Etica, Museo Naturalistico Archeologico di VI
Il Carattere dell’Arte, ARTantide.com Gallery, Verona
Oltre l’Etica, MASC, Florianopolis, Brasile
2021 XII Forence Biennale, Fortezza da Basso, Firenze
2022 Il Tempo delle Chimere, Padiglione Nazionale della Repubblica del Camerun, 59. La Biennale di Venezia
Alem da Etica, Museo “De Arte de Blumenau”. Blumenau, Brasil
2024 Inside the Elements, Fornaci Romane, Lonato, Brescia
Brief Biography of Gabriele Rodriquez
Gabriele Rodriquez boasts a long career (started in 1977) dedicated to traditional photography, always characterized by the experimentation of new techniques and expressive styles; after experiencing the transition from analog (black and white and color) to digital, in 2014 he approached MobileArt, a photographic research focused on the use of smartphones, which emphasizes the concept of digital collage by combining different images to create a new, meaningful one.
Rodriquez has explored this new art form, finding it stimulating and creative. He began experimenting with different techniques and applications, quickly developing his own personal style. His works are characterized by a surreal and dreamlike aesthetic, often exploring social and political themes.
In 2022, he began experimenting with Artificial Intelligence (AI) using the AI platforms DALL-E and MidJourney to create original and unsettling images.
The artist, who believes AI is a powerful tool for creating new forms of art, considers his role fundamental in the creative process. According to Gabriele Rodriquez, AI should never be thought of or used as a surrogate for human creativity but as an additional tool available to the artist.