Dogwatching
7 – 16 July 2022
Opening: 7 July 2022, 6:30 p.m.
Dogwhatching is the project with which Chiara Mecenero returns the research carried out between April and June 2022, during her months of residency at Parsec. The series of works presented, made with different techniques, seeks a relational continuity with the space within which the individual elements are inserted, oscillating between the intention of circumscribing it and that of being circumscribed by it, like a dog that, in the act of marking its territory or reaching what it barks toward, is held back by a chain that is too short.
The dog thus becomes the main subject of aesthetic research, an expression of pure movement and at the same time of its control, through which the artist operates a perceptual paradigm shift. As if led on a leash, those who enter the territory recreated by Mecenero are invited to explore the space guided by the points the artist has chosen, with the intention of suggesting ways and postures of crossing that are not usually human, but rather belong to canine attitudes. The exhibition consists of two central cores. The first, Dalle 12:00 alle 00:00 in piazza, on the lower floor, is developed with sculptural elements that, in order to be observed, require a change in posture: from the upright position, the audience is obliged to bend down and observe the floor, while bottles filled with water are placed at the corners. This element recalls the custom that they would prevent animals from marking certain points on the road, causing them to move away in fear of their reflection. Instead, the branch-lamp serves as a nucleus from which two opposing but mirror-like forces propagate, directing the exploration of space suggested by the arrangement of the rest of the elements.
The second core, Buja – “barking” in Lombard dialect – is located on the upper floor. In contrast to earlier, here our gaze is invited to point upward. Again, the suggestion is to think of a dog that, as in a fairy-tale representation, tilts its head and barks toward the moon. The sculptures presented refer to theriomorphic forms, between the animalistic and the human artifact, emblems of a fantastic code. In fact, Mecenero’s work draws from certain fables and stories handed down by folk tradition, from which he borrows several iconographic elements to readapt and develop their meaning. Reflections of water in corners to protect the land, collars framing small paintings as if they were votive offerings, branches that become lightning bolts, are all elements of a tale within which those visiting the space must orient themselves through an unusual perspective. The audience is then left with the choice of how to make this territory their own and what position to take to experience the works on display. They will then have to consider through which elements to construct his or her own path, which areas to focus on, how much to let themselves be carried along by the leash or how much to get rid of it.
How will the space change when traversed in the shoes of non-humans?
Opening hours:
Tuesday- Saturday 16:30 – 19:30.
Sunday and Monday it will be possible to visit the exhibition by reservation by writing to parsec.bo@gmail.com
Free entrance with Parsec 2022 membership card (€5)
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Chiara Mecenero (1998) was born in Busto Arsizio (VA) and graduated in sculpture from the Brera Academy. In her research she works mainly with sculpture and painting, seeking a continuous dialogue between the two disciplines. In Milan, in 2019, she participates in a cycle of exhibitions/residency at the Fondazione Pini and is subsequently included in the catalog Studio visiti-30artistix30giorni, in 2020, by the same foundation. In 2021, she collaborates with Spazio Marea on an exhibition of the cycle – seeds.
She is currently attending the two-year Painting-Visual Arts program in Bologna.