Exhibition: January, 26 2012 – April, 5 2012
Guest Lecture: Prof. Dr. Dr. Roberto Casati, January, 26 2012 at 16:30

With the exhibition “Matteo Pericoli. Drawings from Within” the A.R.T.e.s. galerie begins its third year of activity. The non-profit exhibition space is run by PhD Candidates of the a.r.t.e.s. Research School, the Interdisciplinary Graduate School of the Arts and Humanities Faculty of the University of Cologne. Being constantly inspired by the multifaceted themes of their studies and daily research practice, the PhD Candidates organize exhibitions that aim to visually demonstrate the fact that art and knowledge are two sides of the same coin.

Matteo Pericoli’s drawings, simply made of lines, describe a whole universe. Through his work, he meets and experiences the world, using the pencil as a tool to give shape to one’s perception. Within his drawings one finds oneself in a suspended time and is given the chance to contemplate, from intimate points of view, silent fragments of inner worlds. Their mute dialogue refers us to the soul of the global city. Matteo Pericoli (Milan, 1968) lived in New York between 1995 and 2008. His expansive drawings of the New York Skyline enabled him to emerge on the art scene. The success of his astonishing drawings of Manhattan (depicted in the exhibition through their related publication) led him to numerous other projects and cooperations, including the monumental commission of the 120 meter long mural Skyline of the World (2005 – 2007, American Airlines Terminal, JFK International Airport, New York). For the first time ever, the A.R.T.e.s. galerie has the privilege to exhibit the final version of the drawing Skyline of the World (2005 – 2007), a view of an imaginary city, a contemporary capriccio which shows 70 cities and more than 400 existing buildings (with the addition of an imaginary one!) gathered from all over the world and drawn on a single sheet of paper that measures over 3 meters.

The second special feature of the exhibition is the large-format drawing My Window View from 102nd Street (2004) which inspired the recent projects of the artist. The City Out of my Window series (2008 – 2009) captures the essence of New York City through drawings of what its inhabitants, including some prominent New Yorkers such as Philip Glass, Oliver Sacks and Tom Wolfe, see when they look out of their windows. The series Windows of the World (2010 – 2011) is exhibited here for the first time in its entirety. It is the result of a collaboration with “The New York Times” and depicts window views from inspiring contemporary writers such as Orhan Pamuk, Daniel Kehlmann, Alaa Al Aswany, Ryu Murakami and others. Every drawing from these different series is accompanied by a comment written by “the owner” of the window. All these texts can be found in the booklet you are holding by looking for the corresponding number. “Matteo Pericoli. Drawings from Within” also features the Turinese views from the windows of Italo Calvino, Friedrich Nietzsche and Mario Merz. They come from the series One Year at the Window: Turin, 53 Views on Italy’s Unification (2010 – 2011) realized in cooperation with the Turin-based newspaper "La Stampa" to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italy’s Unification. Italian writers Giuseppe Culicchia and Bruno Gambarotta give voice to the drawings through their texts, here translated in English by Sandra Vacca. A special section of the exhibition is dedicated to Matteo Pericoli’s editorial production. A selection of books in which Pericoli’s drawings are presented and collected will be available for visitors. Among these refined and playful publications are the children’s books “The True Story of Stellina” (2006) and “Tommaso and the Missing Line” (2008). Along with an educational activity developed by their author, the books will liven up the kids’ corner of the a.r.t.e.s. Research School.

The Views from Pericoli’s home in Turin and from a Venetian window announce the next destination of the exhibition, which is to be held in Italy in from May 22 to July 31, 2012 at the Ca’Foscari University of Venice.

Homepage Matteo Pericoli
Homepage Prof. Dr. Dr. Casati