The Great Farce
The Great Farce, Portable Theater, 2017
Acrylic paint, mixed media, gold leaf on laser cut MDF, LED screen, plexiglass, video loop
8 minutes, 11 seconds (edition 1/5)
60 x 25 x 5 in (152.5 x 63.5 x 12.75 cm open)
Schauspielhaus opera theater: https://vimeo.com/257829982
I protagonisti dell’opera sono: George Washington, Cristoforo Colombo, Donald Trump, Toro Seduto, Napoleone Bonaparte, Otto von Bismarck, Pachacuti, Montezuma, Ramesse II, Imperatrice Teodora, Gengis Khan, Alessandro Magno, Papa Benedetto XVI, Giulio Cesare, Maria Antonietta, Robert E. Lee, Socrates, Hernán Cortés, Benjamin, Mussolini, Idi Amin, Padri Fondatori.
The Great Farce (2017–19), un'installazione video immersiva a nove canali, è stata originariamente commissionata per la Biennale dell'immagine in movimento B3 del 2017 a Francoforte, in Germania, dove è stata presentata sulla facciata del teatro dell'opera Schauspielhaus e successivamente adattata per un'installazione da galleria. Per ogni edizione dell'opera Solmi crea una scatola dipinta a mano unica, un teatro portatile che riecheggia la forma dei suoi “video paintings” da considerare come opere autonome che possono essere appese al muro. Ogni teatro mostra un video-loop che presenta gli stessi nove canali video dell'installazione più grande. In questa interpretazione della storia, gli atti di aggressione politica si fondono in feste e cerimonie decadenti alimentate da un’energia febbrile e da una sfrenata ricerca di potere.“The Great Farce” sarà il titolo della mostra personale di Federico Solmi in mostra al Block Museum of Art della Northwestern University nell'autunno del 2024 (24 settembre - 9 dicembre). The Great Farce Portable Theatre è nella collezione permanente della Phillips Collection, Washington D.C, The Block Museum della Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois e B3 Biennial, Francoforte, Germania.
Main Characters in the video : President George Washington, Explorer Christopher Columbus, President Donald Trump, Chief Sitting Bull, Imperatore Napoleon Bonaparte, Chancellor Bismarck, Emperor Pachacuti, Emperor Montezuma, Pharaoh Ramesses II, Empress Theodora, Warlord Genghis Khan, Emperor Alexander, Pope Benedict XVI, General Julius Caesar, Queen Marie Antionette, Confederate General Robert E. Lee, Philosopher Socrates, Conquistador Hernan Cortez, Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, Dictator Benito Mussolini, President Idi Amin, Cardinal, Founding Fathers
The Great Farce (2017–19), an immersive nine-channel video installation, was originally commissioned for the 2017 B3 Biennial of the Moving Image in Frankfurt, Germany, where it was presented on the facade of the Schauspielhaus opera theater and later adapted into a gallery-based installation. For each edition of the work Solmi creates a unique painted handmade box, a portable theater that echoes the form of his “video paintings'' and are self-contained works that can be hung on the wall. Each theater shows a video-loop presenting the same nine channels of video as the larger installation. In this rendition of history, acts of political aggression meld into decadent parties and ceremonies fueled by a feverish energy and unbridled quest for power. “The Great Farce” will be the title of Federico Solmi's solo exhibition on display at the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University in the fall of 2024 (September 24 - December 9). The Great Farce Portable Theater is in the permanent collection of the Phillips Collection, Washington D.C, The Block Museum at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, and B3 Biennial, Frankfurt, Germany.
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