Monday 6 July 2009

SMS Contemporary Art_by Stefano Monti

As every morning, I’m sitting down in my kitchen table, zipping cappuccino and reading my post, about thirty e-mail from which may be 6 or 7 of real interest (sad balance), and in between there is  the invitation to a exhibition of contemporary art. Beautiful graphic, all the right information, title, artist, curator, place, address, time and synthetic’s and very “attractive” and smart press release, all in 1.2 MB, not bad at all! Fixed the date in my IPhone (3 days from today).

Eight o’clock, I have come biking so no fuss for parking and there are already forty people inside and still some more are arriving. Goes in, text in Italian and English and map with the path, the artworks and captions; quite useful. I start to go around observing the artworks, first room, photos, installation, sound, they offered me to drink, - thanks – and something to eat. The exhibition looks like interesting, goes to the second room, I stop to look better a video, find two friends, speak about the show, they are enthusiastic, introduced me to a friend, we speak about my work and theirs, change e-mail address with a friend that hasn’t seen from some time. Goes ahead seeing the exhibition, have a look at the time, it’s nine o’clock, and I realized that I have never been so long in an art gallery without annoying me, I need to smoke, goes to the patio, and find  seats, ashtrays and people to talk to, another glass of wine and something to eat.

While I’m leaving my attention goes to a cyclostyled sheet of paper with the title SMS Contemporary ART, take it, fold it up and put it in my pocket, light a cigarette and talk to somebody else; nice show! Lots of people, maybe a hundred, artists, curators, university teachers, some collectors…21.45, though! Take my bike and go back home.  Have another look at the show’s text, the postcard, very interesting this artist and the “SMS Contemporary Art”.  An invitation to send a SMS with your own name, e-mail and the gallery’s name (sigla) and a number, 3 or 5, the euro I could donate. Giving 5 I would received a silicon bracelet, which I have noticed but without questioning. Why not! I have spent two hours, I have nearly dinned, met friends and have been introduced to two interesting persons, I have seen the show of a brave young artist, it look like to me that at least “a thankful postcard” could be send to the gallery.  I have in mind this white postcard my father used and still uses, with in front the family name and in the back the possibility of writing something to send together to a bunch of flowers, or a box of chocolates, to thank the day after a magnificent party, dinner, or… But we are in the 2009 and to send a SMS is a brilliant idea, they will not get rich, five euro per hundred persons (a hundred SMS donated, it looks to me too optimistic) it means five hundred euro, may be they can pay wine and food and the bracelet, I don’t know!  So, I think is more a way to say thanks, sure, very clever, and donate a small contribute. Why not!