In First Person Plural
With Gina Beavers, Alexandra Bircken, Corrado Cagli, Judy Chicago, Enzo Cucchi, Jimmy DeSana, Eliza Douglas, Wayland Flowers, Massimo Grimaldi, Duane Hanson, Mark Leckey, Nancy Lupo, Tala Madani, John Miller, Hudson Mohawke, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Ulrike Ottinger, Lucia Pica, Francisco Sierra, Erik Thys, Gianfilippo Usellini and other apparitions
#Solo/Multi
In First Person Plural is the first group show to be presented in the SOLO/MULTI section, and aims to explore another facet of the exhibition as medium with an experimental approach, characteristic of MACRO’S exhibition programme.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio. Lucia Pica, Texture experience, 2023, Glitter and enamel on PVC resin on Dibond, corrugated PVC. Courtesy the artist. Reflected in the background: Tala Madani, Fan Hang, 2021, olio su lino. Courtesy l’artista e Pilar Corrias, Londra.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio. Lucia Pica, Texture experience, 2023, Glitter and enamel on PVC resin on Dibond, corrugated PVC. Courtesy the artist. Reflected in the background: Tala Madani, Fan Hang, 2021, olio su lino. Courtesy l’artista e Pilar Corrias, Londra.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio. Lucia Pica, Texture experience, 2023, Glitter and enamel on PVC resin on Dibond, corrugated PVC. Courtesy the artist. Reflected in the background: Gina Beavers, Hilarisad, 2019, Acrylic and foam on linen on panel. Courtesy Carl and Katharine Kostyál Collection, Italy.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio.
From left to right: Francisco Sierra, A Self Portrait, 2005, oil on canvas. Courtesy Helvetia Art Collection; Tala Madani, Fan Hang, 2021, oil on linen. Courtesy the artist and Pilar Corrias, London; John Miller, Dress Rehearsal for the Revolution, 2019, mannequins, clothes, wigs, instruments. Courtesy the artist and Meyer Riegger, Berlin, Karlsruhe; Street painter Giovanni Bosica
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio. Eliza Douglas, Untitled, 2023, oil on canvas. Courtesy the artist and Air de Paris, Romainville and VI VII, Oslo Michael Jackson lookalike Emiliano Fiacchi.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio. From left to right: Enzo Cucchi, Incantesimo, 2023, iron sheet, ceramics, embroidery, and bronze. Courtesy the artist and ZERO…, Milan. Francisco Sierra, Anita, 2007, oil on canvas, Courtesy the artist and von Bartha. Corrado Cagli, Senza Titolo, 1961, cardboard. Private collection. Judy Chicago, Creation of the World: Needlepoint 5 from the Birth Project, 1985, needlepoint over painting on mesh canvas. Needlework by Susan Hill; hand painting assistance by Lynda Healy. Courtesy the artist and Birth Rites Collection. Michael Jackson lookalike Emiliano Fiacchi.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio. From left to right: Mark Leckey, Inflatable Felix, 2014, mixed media. Courtesy Collection Syz, Ginevra. Jimmy DeSana, Bubblegum (Self-Portrait), 1985, vintage C-print. Courtesy of Jimmy DeSana Trust and P·P·O·W, New York. Michael Jackson lookalike Emiliano Fiacchi.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio.
In Prima Persona Plurale. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio. From left to right: Judy Chicago, Creation of the World: Needlepoint 5 from the Birth Project, 1985, needlepoint over painting on mesh canvas. Needlework by Susan Hill; hand painting assistance by Lynda Healy. Courtesy the artist and Birth Rites Collection. Judy Chicago, The Crowning: Quilt 9/9, from the Birth Project, 1982, quilting and embroidery over drawing on batik fabric. Appliqué quilting and embroidery by Gwen Glesmann; batik by Dianne Barber. Courtesy the artist and Birth Rites Collection.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio. From left to right: Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Screen (0X5A3951), 2020, archival pigment print. Courtesy the artist and Galerie Peter Kilchmann Zürich, Paris. Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Screen (0X5A3778), 2020, archival pigment print. Courtesy the artist and Galerie Peter Kilchmann Zürich, Paris. Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Screen (0X5A3785), 2020, archival pigment print. Courtesy the artist and Galerie Peter Kilchmann Zürich, Paris.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio. Duane Hanson, Beagle in a basket, 1990, polychromed bronze, polyester cushion with acrylic filling, and basket © The Estate of Duane Hanson. Courtesy The Estate of Duane Hanson and Gagosian.
In First Person Plural. Exhibition view, MACRO 2023. Ph. Piercarlo Quecchia – DSL Studio.
In First Person Plural is conceived as a film set where the works act as characters capable of activating different stories within the same scenario. A space composed of a complex ensemble of elements – artworks, music, artefacts, costumes, mirrors, performers – that transport the viewer into an alternate dimension through the association of these various entities. The exhibition is designed to be a synesthetic and disorientating experience where the boundaries and definitions of the human, the non-human and the post-human are destabilized: it is a space in which our notions of reality and fiction are teased, flipped over, and twisted. A deposit of gestures, signs and emotions that conceptually and physically resonate with the visitors. A compost of performative elements, artworks, music, and objects seeking to create an alienating yet enveloping experience – a kaleidoscope of signs in which one can lose oneself.
Curator: Luca Lo Pinto
Exhibition Coordinator: Lorena Stamo
Curatorial Coordinator: Vasco Forconi
Curatorial Assistant: Carlotta Pierleoni
Production Assistant: Anna Mostardi
Production and fabrication: Nomade Arte
Art Handlers: Carlo Giannone, Fabio Pennacchia, Matteo Pompili, Silvia Scaringella, Stefano Silvia
Intern: Eloisa Magiera
Special thanks to American Academy in Rome
With the support of Byredo
Eliza Douglas, Untitled, 2023. Oil on canvas, 210 x 160 cm. Unique. Photo Marc Domage. Courtesy the artist and Air de Paris, Romainville and VI VII, Oslo