Exhibition Review: Galleria Franco Toselli, Milano

Exhibition Poster

Bonomo Faita*, Mercurio e Venere (Mercury and Venus), 2008-2010

Bonomo Faita*,  Fuga per un Picnic, 2008-2010

Bonomo Faita*,  Self P, 2008-2010

With the thesis finished I have realized how much free time I have after work. After months of feeling guilty for watching that extra episode on iTunes or spending a few more minutes perusing Facebook and Google Reader (usually simultaneaoulsy), I now have no reason to worry about this 'lounging'. Alas, I still do.


That's why I was particularly grateful when the opportunity to attend a gallery opening in Milan passed my way. I knew it would be a rather long drive, but no one misses the movement of a big city as much as I do. And, surprisingly, since moving to this part of Northern Italy, the closest I have gotten to the fashion capitol is it's depressingly dismal Malpensa airport.


So, after work I ventured to put on my most trendy gallerista outfit (slim-pickings with most of my luggage ready for my Texas return), and set off for the big city.


Galleria Franco Toselli is located in la zona Sempione in Milan, Italy. Owned and run by artist Franco Toselli, the gallery is an intimate space.  The exhibition was Fuga per un Picnic, and showcased a collection of the works of 36 artists. The main room, which is more of a wide corridor, is a comfortable setting where the audience and several of the exhibiting artists were able to interact, converse, and share amusing anticdotes. Such was one experience with performance and visual artist Charlemagne Palestine, who was one of the first people I meant when I entered the gallery. With a witty remark and a boisterous laugh, both of which paired perfectly with his playful stuffed creatures, I was quickly put at ease.


I walked through the gallery feeling very light and child-like. Perhaps this is related to the rest of the images in the exhibition, none of which are somber, chaotic, or grotesque. With irony present in each of the works, it was the viewers job to interpret the many pieces that are associated with cultural statements and popular idioms, such as Bonoma Faita's images featured below. All in all I was impressed by the understated simplicity of the message transmitted. Even in the images I could not immediately understand, due mostly to a lack of cultural or historical basis, the compositions were intriguing nonetheless.


After the opening we all walked to a nearby restaurant for an Italian feast. It was interesting to sit at a table and talk to the gallery owner and several artists. The conversations and wine flowed throughout the next few hours, ranging from subject and vintage. What was perhaps most captivating was that no one was discussing the work. This was the art world I loved. Unassuming and fun.

* Unfortunately I did not have my camera for the exhibition opening, so these images were taken from a book published by Franco Toselli:

Bonomo Faita and Franco Toselli, Fuga Per un Picnic (Milan: Galleria Toselli Milano, 2010): 20-21; 26-27; 62-63.