We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday 21 May at 6 pm at Pastificio Cerere – Sculpture Classroom for a Talk with Christophe Constantin, Art director at LEMME, and performance artist Marta Jovanović, lecturer and coordinator of the RUFA Visual Arts department. The talk will be held in English.
As a central player in the Italian alternative and independent art scene, Christophe Constantin offers us an overview of contemporary art in Italy and possible alternatives regarding the organisation of exhibitions and the functioning of the art sector.
Starting from the assumption that the alternative art scene, in particular through independent cultural spaces such as off-spaces, plays a crucial role in the promotion of art and culture, it is evident that it is often thanks to collective initiatives that the artistic fabric on a regional and national level is enlivened and enriched.
During the discussion, we will explore how these spaces can collaborate and interact to offer alternatives to the dominant aesthetic, supporting and disseminating new talent and revising the very concept of art. The creation of collaborative networks on a national and international level fosters the exchange of ideas between artists and cultural practitioners and stimulates greater creativity and innovation in the field.
Considering an exhibition space as a strategic opportunity, analogous to a creative studio, it is possible to use it as a tool to insert oneself and stand out in the regional, national and international art scene. Rome, with its wealth of world-renowned art institutions, represents a fertile environment for building international relationships and collaborations. However, there is currently a significant shortage of both quality and quantity of exhibition spaces, making it essential to revitalise the city’s art scene on a global level, fostering an intense cultural exchange with other international realities and helping to reinvigorate the local creative scene.
Biography – Christophe Constantin
Born in Switzerland in 1987, Christophe Constantin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the ECAV (now EDHEA) in 2013.
Afterwards, he continued his studies in Rome, specialising at RUFA and obtaining a Master’s degree in sculpture. In 2016, he founded Spazio In Situ, where he took on the role of artistic director and curator under the pseudonym Porter Ducrist. This multiple position has had a significant impact on his conception and interpretation of artworks, shaping his point of view on art itself.In 2023, he organised OUT OF RESIDENCY, an extensive exhibition programme aimed at creating a link between foreign institutions such as Villa Medici and Villa Massimo and the independent art scene in Rome. Back in Switzerland, he took on the role of co-organiser and producer of the Biennale Son, an event focused on sound art that involved prominent artists such as Anri Sala, Christian Marclay and Gavin Bryars. After spending six months at the Swiss Foundation in Paris, he became the artistic director of LEMME, a space dedicated to sculpture in the heart of Sion, with a programme focusing mainly on Italy.
Actively engaged in exhibitions at independent spaces, galleries and museums throughout Europe, Christophe regularly presents his works in both solo and group exhibitions. In his role as curator, he promotes numerous initiatives with artists from different cultural spheres, always seeking dialogue and confrontation between works and artists.
His artistic practice challenges the limits of art, focusing on the re-evaluation of traditional norms and conventional dogmas. His artistic expression often reveals a contrast between a subtle irony and a sense of banality, as well as traits of romantic sublimation.The artist describes himself as a ‘semi-naut’, a traveller between signs who uses the information and symbols of our time for what they are. Eager to represent contemporaneity, he configures himself as a modern flâneur moving through a series of stimuli, interacting with his time in its purest essence. The Italo-Swiss artist wishes to rewrite the classics of art, taking them apart and leaving only a subtle reminder of their originality, emphasising the banality and unspectacular nature of his works.
