ROOM 11 – IN THE CELLAR
The decision to have the premiere of the second chapter of the work A nostra immagine e somiglianza at Casa Testori is a consequence of the suggestions the artist received when visiting the house and studying the writer’s thought, and it aims to be a tribute to him, a sort of ideal “portrait”. The action features an older man as its protagonist, who symbolises a person that consciously places themselves in confrontation with the normative systems and power structures – whether secular or moral – that regulate their life; unlike the preceding chapter, in which the idol dominated the people, in this case an equal relationship is established with the performer, who starts to play with a rosary, turning it with his index finger until it flies away.The object is thus deprived of its aura and treated like any other artefact: nevertheless, this isn’t supposed to be a gesture of desecration, but rather that of an individual that intends to reclaim his own free will. The choice to stage the action below ground level in the cellar (and not on the ground floor, contiguous with the rest of the exhibition) comes from the desire to emphasise the private nature of this micro-gesture, which happens in a rarefied atmosphere where a relationship full of pathos is established between the performer and the few spectators admitted to each session.
