GAPscape - State of Art Italia: Press and Critics

Achille Bonito Oliva

curator

	Palazzo delle Esposizioni museum "GAPscape - State of Art - Italia" Rome, May 2016
	Art is an enquiry on the world, and the artist is its special envoy in reality. Art massages the atrophied muscle of collective sensitivity. Art is a catastrophic disruption in the equilibrium of interpersonal communication. Paradoxically it is the ability of relating and playing between catastrophe and communication, and Minya handles both these aspects with balance. ...more

Through rupture and linguistic catastrophe she creates personal images starting from her observation of the world and its realities. And at the other end, through form, she communicates the favourable outcome of this catastrophic act. This time, the catastrophic act was the search for excellences within the social reality surrounding the artist and her audience; excellences on the moral and social planes, in terms of economic and political achievement, figures who through their behaviour have been capable of adding value to their country’s identity; in this case, Italy. Rhetoric of old tells us that Italy is a country of poets, warriors and sailors. The range of characters chosen by the artist is well documented by their personal stories and, I should add, by their aptitude to be transfigured into icons. This catastrophic intervention on language is successful because the artist uses an absolutely personal technique. She effectively brings to surface with pixels and manual ability the figures, the representation, the transposition of recognizable characters from life to the work of art. Their familiarity is such thanks to their passage through a linguistic grill. A formal, original system that shows us how art which comes forth from moral impetuosity is in itself a question, holding an adequate and accurate linguistic answer. This figuration produces a gallery, a sample of existing, behavioural, professional excellences who provide a behavioural model through the contemplation the public has towards them, thus contributing, while motionless, through this new iconography, to develop and massage the atrophied muscle of collective sensitivity. This collectively organized social endeavour hence produces new processes of knowledge creation. In our case, the awareness of new ways of producing images, of painting, while on the other hand, the capability of creating, illustrating the history of our country.

Nicola Zingaretti

President of Regione Lazio

	Palazzo delle Esposizioni museum "GAPscape - State of Art - Italia" Rome, May 2016
	“GAPscape – STATE OF ART – ITALIA” expresses the flair of the original and contemporary artist Minya Mikic, providing a dynamic, positive idea of Italy as a forge for talents, a land of ingenuity and passionate professionals. For this reason, Lazio Region has chosen to support this cultural project, which counts on the precious contribution of Achille Bonito Oliva, its promoter. ...more

Additionally, Minya chose to portray me - along over thirty others – in his project, adding an element of personal emotion for me. In this double role of protagonist and viewer, I observe and appreciate this work of great artistic value and impact. Minya Mikic has selected faces of men and women from different professional segments: from art to sports, from show business to politics, from civil engagement to humanitarian effort. The author defines these men and women as “ambassadors of made Italy”, valued national and international assets. Figures from many different Italian cities, all joined together in the representation of the “body” and “soul” of our Country. Mikic has succeeded in immortalizing a heritage of places and people who have now become a common heritage. This is clearly an innovative, modern, vibrant project, a project that stands out from many others.

Giovanni Malagò

President of Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI)

Palazzo delle Esposizioni museum
"GAPscape - State of Art - Italia"
Rome, May 2016

An artistic project that leaves a mark. That celebrates the excellence of the Made in Italy by emphasizing – through special portraits – the outstanding value of our country thanks to the uniqueness of the people who characterize it. Achille Bonito Oliva has put together many small works of art and with the support of Minya Mikic has produced a project that could become the most effective visiting card for promoting a winning image of the Italian tradition, and to support us in the challenges we have to face including the Olympic challenge of Rome 2024. ...more

Many protagonists, but one common denominator: the sense of belonging to our roots, the legitimate pride of representing and upholding a tradition mirrored in success. I am particularly proud that this project has a strong athletic matrix, and I’m not speaking of myself but of the athletes, the champions who are bearers of the very best image of our nation, who write history through their example of talent and determination, because every finish line is reached with self-sacrifice and determination. The project is a lesson reflected in our everyday life, that makes sport into a life style, a concept that this prestigious gallery has been able to enhance with masterly artist flair. It is the projection of a culture that distinguishes us, of a universal language that embraces many different fields. It is a project that communicates through the sinuosity and elegance of outlines, through the expression of tonalities, through the richness of details. It is an inestimable heritage that we must safeguard in order to nurture the history of Italy.

Mario De Simoni

Director General of Palazzo delle Esposizioni museum

Palazzo delle Esposizioni museum
"GAPscape - State of Art - Italia"
Rome, May 2016

Palazzo delle Esposizioni is delighted to host “GAPScape – STATE of ART – Italia”, a project promoted and curated by Achille Bonito Oliva, that ideally opens the path to Rome’s candidacy as host to the 2024 Olympic Games. For this reason, the exhibition displaying the works of art by Minya Mikic, portraits of many of the outstanding Italians of today, comes to us with the support of the Committee for Rome 2024. ...more

A joint effort on behalf of all the Country’s forces to back this great endeavor, an enterprise in which culture, in its multiple settings and manifestations, may express a leading role in national affairs. This event is such an occasion, a project that gathers together the great thought provoker and advocate for culture that is Bonito Oliva, Minya, the original artist very perceptive of issues concerning communication, the generous, open disposition of the many personages who lent themselves to be pictured, and an important venue such as the Palazzo delle Esposizioni. We are certain the spirit of intellectual and institutional cooperation materialized in the realization of the project “GAPscape – STATE of ART – Italia” should and shall follow the entire path of Rome’s candidacy for the 2024 Olympic Games.