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Enrico Corte

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Enrico Corte
File:Enrico Corte
Enrico Corte in 2015. Photo by Francesca Manca di Villahermosa
Born (1963-06-21) June 21, 1963 (age 61)
Cagliari, Italy
NationalityItalian
EducationUniversity of Cagliari, Master's degree in History of Contemporary Art
Known forPainting, sculpture, photography, drawing, video art, music composition
Websiteenricocorte.net

Enrico Corte (born June 21, 1963) is a contemporary Italian artist. He works in painting, sculpture, drawing, video art, and photography. His exhibitions often include multimedia installations that mix diverse genres and form relationships both with the surrounding area and the viewing public by means of ever-changing combinations. He has lived for extended periods of time in Rome, London, Berlin, Paris and New York, always immersing himself in the contemporary culture and assimilating the tensions of the metropolitan counter-cultures[1]. His works can be found in both private and public collections in Europe and the USA.

Some recurring themes constitute the artist’s poetic core. One element is the so-called “impossibility of the Tragic” within the system of contemporary art[2]. Another theme is the co-existence of creation and destruction in the process of realizing a work, along with the analysis of the “dark side” of creativity[3][4] which often coincides with the self-destruction of the artist’s personality[5][6][7]. A frequent theme found in many of Corte’s works is the relationship between official artistic culture and the “underground” ferment that develops in urban alternative countercultures or subcultures[8]. The manifold theme of sex in general and, in particular, the relationship between pleasure and pain, are explored by Corte without restraint or prejudice[9]; he himself ties the wide variety of artistic techniques and genres of his work to a genderqueer standpoint experienced personally by the artist[10].

Life and career

Enrico Corte was born in Cagliari, on the island of Sardinia, Italy. He completed hiscourses of studies at the artistic high school in Cagliari, where he met a classmate, Andrea Nurcis, an artist with whom he began a partnership that has lasted to the present day[11]. Corte began exhibiting in 1980; in 1982 he held his first solo exhibition at the Galleria Comunale d’Arte Moderna in Cagliari, where he juxtaposed his works directly with those of the artists in the Gallery’s permanent collection, such as Giulio Paolini, Bridget Riley, Enrico Castellani, and Piero Gilardi[12]. In addiction to visual art, he was influenced by international literature, cinema, theater and, above all, to the history of music[13]. In 1983 his interestin the cinema and theater led to an encounter with the film director Mario Martone, who put him in touch with the Idra Duarte Gallery in Naples, an experimental space run by artists[14] where Corte and Nurcis organized a double solo exhibition in 1986. They received the attention of the art critics Enrico Crispolti and Filiberto Menna[15], who invited them to exhibit at the 1986 Rome Quadriennale[16]. The Quadriennale aimed to take stock of the Italian visual art in the mid-1980s and included such artists as Francesco Clemente, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Giuseppe Penone, Mimmo Paladino, Mario Merz[17]. Through to his presence in the Quadriennale, Corte was introduced to some of the representatives of the cultural and artistic world in Rome, including Alighiero Boetti, Jannis Kounellis, Enzo Cucchi, Gino De Dominicis and, in particular, the multimedia artist Luigi Ontani. Ontani and Corte belonged to different generations but shared a common sensitivity and culture; they developed a friendship that inspired Ontani to write a presentation in the form of a poem[18] of Corte’s first solo exhibition in Rome, at the Planita gallery in 1989.

In 1988 Corte obtained his degree (Laurea, in Italian) from the University in the History of Contemporary Art with a thesis on the Austrian body artist Günter Brus, whom he met and interviewed in Graz in 1987[19]. He then moved to Rome where he established a studio with Andrea Nurcis. To finance his early projects, Corte worked as a 3D commercial artist, scenographer and actor, collaborating with, among others, the experimental film-director Franco Brocani[20]; his work with Brocani would later find a place in his art[21]. In Rome, Corte met several artists of international fame, including Alberto Burri, Marina Abramović, Maurizio Cattelan, Joseph Kosuth, Andres Serrano, and Joel-Peter Witkin[22]. During the 1990s, Corte became part of the “nuova scena”[23] (new scene) of Italian art, being chosen by the critic Achille Bonito Oliva for a series of exhibitions in Rome and Milan[24], by the critics Luca Beatrice[25] and Cristiana Perrella for the Equinozio d’Autunno exhibition at Castello di Rivara[26], near Turin, and by the critic Gianluca Marziani[27] for the exhibitionTrends, organized in 2001 by the Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Bologna[28]. He also began to make trips to New York City.

On the international level, in 1999 the Swiss critic Harald Szeemann invited Corte to organize, as artist/curator, a section of the 48th Venice Biennale[29][30]. In 2003 Corte began a working relationship with the Buia Gallery in New York, taking part in the Young Italian Genome group show[31]. Corte left Rome in 2008 and moved to Bologna for a brief period, after which he chose to concentrate his work in a studio/house in the countryside near Ravenna. In 2017 the critic Gianluca Marziani organized a double retrospective exhibition of Corte and Nurcis in the Palazzo Collicola Arti Visive museum[32] in Spoleto, Umbria. The exhibition, entitled ExcerptⒶ, celebrated 40 years of the artists’ work occupying three floors of the museum[33]. ExcerptⒶ caught the attention of the director of the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome, Cristiana Collu[34], who in February 2018 organized a lecture with the two artists in the Galleria Nazionale where the entire exhibition was illustrated and discussed with the audience. On the occasion of the ExcerptⒶ exhibition and the artist’s lecture in the Galleria Nazionale, the aspect of Corte’s work in the field of musical composition[35] emerged – an activity on which he has been concentrating in recent years.

Works

The Botanical Rarities series (1981–present)

Throughout his career, Corte has collaborated with other artists in order to break out of what he refers as «the self-indulgent individualism of the artist»[36]. The multimedia installation Botanical Rarities[37], created with the artist Andrea Nurcis in 1981, is an example of the type of ongoing collaborative work that has evolved alongside his solo works. Since the first installation of vegetomorphic sculptures, drawings and musical soundtrack in the Orto Botanico dell'Università di Cagliari, from time to time the artists re-elaborate the original themes in order to present the same ideas in different forms using various techniques. So far vinyl LPs, audio CDs, videos, jewelry and various gadgets inspired by the 1981 exhibition have been produced[38]. The “celebratory” pretext was intended ironically, not adulatory, but when viewed in its totality does celebrate the lasting friendship the two artists continue to enjoy[39].

Double Faces and Cross Fades works, 1986-1989

In the second half of the 1980’s Corte produced two series of works: the Double Face series, consisting in thirty-five pieces, followed by the Cross Fades series, consisting of forty pieces[40]. In the former, the artist altered the traditional way a picture is displayed, hanging panels attached to steel cables in the center of the exhibiting area. The panels were painted on both sides, often with images and subjects that are quite different from the point of view of color or figurative representation. The viewer is invited to walk around the picture as it hangs in a void to discover the conceptual tie between the two sides of the work. Often the images depicted emerge from the surface, standing out like altorilievi or jutting sculptures. The Cross Fades series began in 1987 and represent an extensionof the works in Double Face: the pictures in this series look as if they are hanging on the wall in a traditional fashion but they are divided into two panels joined by hinges so that they can be opened and closed like a book (or rather, like a Japanese book: from right to left). One of the two panels is fixed to the wall while the other is moveable and can be opened or closed by the viewer on the hinges. When the works in the Cross Fades series are closed, that is to say, when one panel is folded over the other, all that the viewer can see is a black square hanging on the wall; it is necessary to use one’s hands to open the panels in order to be able to see the images painted within.       

No Light (1995–present)

No Light is the title of a video art work which Corte began working on with Nurcis in 1995[41]. Corte and Nurcis play the two main charactersin the video, which has a narrative structure and includes digital animation, pictorial scenography, costumes, text, and music all created by the two artists. The video, completed in 1997, is 30 minutes long. In the intervening decades, the two artists have periodically re-elaborated themes and images from No Light to celebrate their ongoing artistic collaboration. Similar to their previous collaboration – the Botanical Rarities installation of 1981 – new works offer new interpretations and perspectives on a project that has evolved from a medium-length video to include video still prints, sculptures, drawings, vinyl records, audio CDs, limited edition of artistic gadgets, and multimedia installations. The meaning behind the No Light project, with all its subsequent re-elaborations, can be synthesized as a satirical representation of how the Tragic is impossible within the system of contemporary art[42]. It's a parody of the “pain” and torment of creating, or as a schizophrenic “split” of the artist’s personality into two different characters who hold a conflictual dialogue about the possibility of abandoning the artistic career[43]. No Light was presented to an international audience in 1999 at the Italian pavilion of the 48th Venice Biennale, directed by Harald Szeemann.

Luciferin music (1995–present)

Luciferin music is the title Corte gives to his musical production from 1995 to date, «to say goodnight to the art world» – as is written on his personal Bandcamp page[44]. The term "luciferin" refers here to heterocyclic compounds present in some living organisms which produce bioluminescence, like fireflies. Corte plays on the reference to Lucifer, the name given to Satan in the Judeo-Christian tradition (in the No Light video, for which Corte composed the music, he plays a little demon). For his musical projects, Corte presents himself as various “entities” or alter egos – musical groups or soloists – preferring to appear with his own name only as a “producer”. While Corte is responsible for the entirely of his musical compositions, during the creative phase he often relies on sound engineers and other musicians: like much of his work, the artist's approach to music is collaborative. La Partouze and Un Autre are some of the aliases Corte adopts in his musical projects[45].

Publications

In 2008, the monograph Enrico Corte - Spectrospective[46] was published by Damiani[47], with a critical essay by art critic Gianluca Marziani. The volume, distributed internationally, can be found in the libraries of institutions such as Stanford University[48], Columbia University[49] and the Pratt Institute[50] in New York.

References

  1. ^ Marziani, Gianluca (2008). Enrico Corte - Spectrospective. Bologna: Damiani. ISBN 9788862080064. pp. 21-27.
  2. ^ Marziani, p. 44.
  3. ^ Sperelli, Patrizia (1995). "Quelli che vanno, quelli che restano". Flash Art n. 191. Milan: Giancarlo Politi Editore. CL 11800550 ISSN 00153524. pp. 76-78.
  4. ^ Beatrice, Luca; Perrella, Cristiana (1998). Nuova Arte Italiana. Rome: Castelvecchi. ISBN 9788882100551. pp. 71-74.
  5. ^ Marziani, p. 46.
  6. ^ De Dominicis, Daniela (1994). "Profili e paesaggi". Flash Art n.186. Milan: Giancarlo Politi Editore. CL 1180050X ISSN 00153524. pp. 75, 76.
  7. ^ Politi, Giancarlo (1989). "La parola agli artisti". Flash Art News, Flash Art n.150. Milan: Giancarlo Politi Editore. pp. 16,17.
  8. ^ Marziani, pp. 25-27, 43, 47.
  9. ^ Marziani, p. 34.
  10. ^ «Avrai sentito usare spesso termini come genderqueer, genderfluid, genderfree (…) noi “ci siamo dentro” da prima che venissero coniati.» Perra, Daniele (March 3, 2018). "La terza via dell'arte. Intervista a Enrico Corte e Andrea Nurcis". Artribune.
  11. ^ Altea, Giuliana; Magnani, Marco (1998). "Sardegna oggi". Flash Art n.212. Milan: Giancarlo Politi Editore. CL 11800763 ISSN 00153524. pp. 110-112.
  12. ^ Musei Civici di Cagliari Official Web Site
  13. ^ Marziani, p. 20.
  14. ^ Tondelli, Pier Vittorio (1990). Un weekend postmoderno. Milan: Bompiani. ISBN 9788845220104. pp. 229, 230.
  15. ^ Filiberto Menna on it.wikipedia.org
  16. ^ Gatt, Giuseppe; Rossini, Giuseppe (1986). XI Quadriennale d'Arte di Roma. Milan: Fabbri Editori. ISBN BVE0159867.
  17. ^ XI Quadrienale di Roma Official Web Site
  18. ^ Marziani, p. 46.
  19. ^ Marziani, p. 20.
  20. ^ Franco Brocani on it.wikipedia.org
  21. ^ Marziani, p. 50.
  22. ^ Marziani, p. 56.
  23. ^ Beatrice, Luca; Curto, Guido; Perrella, Cristiana (1995). Nuova Scena. Artisti italiani degli anni '90. Milan: Mondadori. ISBN 9788837414016. pp. 18, 33.
  24. ^ Bonito Oliva, Achille (1992). Imprimatur. Milan: Prearo. ISBN 9788873480600.
  25. ^ Luca Beatrice on it.wikipedia.org
  26. ^ Archivio Castello di Rivara
  27. ^ Gianluca Marziani Official Web Site
  28. ^ Auregli, Dede, et al. (2001). Trends: Roma. Ferrara: Edisai. ISBN 9788888051062.
  29. ^ Szeemann, Harald, et al. (1999). 48. Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte: dAPERTutto. Venice: Marsilio. ISBN 8820804131.
  30. ^ Norese, Giancarlo, et al. (2000). Oreste at the Venice Biennial. Milan: Charta. ISBN 8881582791. pp. 128-137.
  31. ^ Young Italian Genome on undo.net
  32. ^ Palazzo Collicola Arti Visive on it.wikipedia.org
  33. ^ Perra, Artribune.
  34. ^ Cristiana Collu on it.wikipedia.org
  35. ^ Marziani, p. 52.
  36. ^ Marziani, p. 56.
  37. ^ Marziani, p. 30.
  38. ^ Botanical Rarities XXXV Anniversary on vimeo.com
  39. ^ Marziani, p. 31.
  40. ^ Marziani, pp. 40-43.
  41. ^ Marziani, pp. 51-54.
  42. ^ Marziani, p. 51.
  43. ^ Marziani, p. 51.
  44. ^ La Partouze on bandcamp.com
  45. ^ Marziani, p. 52.
  46. ^ Enrico Corte - Spectrospective on damianieditore.com
  47. ^ Damiani Editore Official Web Site
  48. ^ stanford.edu
  49. ^ clio.columbia.edu
  50. ^ pratt.edu

External links

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:Italian contemporary artists Category:20th-century Italian sculptors Category:20th-century Italian painters Category:20th-century photographers Category:21st-century Italian sculptors Category:21st-century Italian painters Category:21st-century photographers Category:video artists Category:Sound artists Category:Conceptual artists Category:Postmodern artists Category:People from Rome Category:People from Cagliari Category:People from Sardinia


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