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Imagine: a family cosily sitting around a nicely laid table, plates filled with wonderful food, wine flowing abundantly. Grazia Gallo (1991) captured a similar Mediterranean dining scene in her installation at Prospects. The picture oozes warmth and tradition; the table covered by a handmade cloth, the crockery and wall tiles look artisanal. However, the chairs are empty and the scene appears frozen in time.
In her artistic practice, Gallo examines the meaning of home, and how this concept relates to memory, nostalgia, and migration. Years ago she herself left her city of birth, Salerno in Southern Italy. She noticed that it is becoming more difficult for migrants to feel at home in a new location, as meeting places like neighbourhood cafés increasingly make way for larger, impersonal chains. Also under threat of disappearing under the influence of mass production are local traditional crafts that are often passed on from generation to generation. In the art installation, Gallo reconnects with the traditional crafts of her birth region, known for its ceramics and textile industry. For the tiles and crockery she collaborated with local artisans, the needlework was taught to her by female relatives.
The image on the wall tiles references the social housing project where Gallo grew up. In working-class neighbourhoods like these – typically built with cheap materials and marked by political negligence –, residents only have limited means to create a sense of home. Gallo’s installation connects working-class culture to traditional crafts. She argues that both offer resistance against the pressures of the capitalist system.
Text: Sarah van Binsbergen
Translated from Dutch by Marie Louise Schoondergang (The Art of Translation)