Artists
Vert, Viron Erol
David Soppressata, 2018
Courtesy: Viron Erol Vert, Foto: OKNO Studios
Viron Erol Vert’s Venus Mortadella and David Soppressata were created during his months-long residency as a fellow at Villa Romana, a cultural institution in Florence. The Tuscan capital, which boasts an economy largely dominated by tourism, viticulture, arts and crafts, and olive oil production, is often called the “cradle of the Renaissance.” With its rich history, internationally renowned museum Galleria degli Uffizi (Uffizi Gallery), and historic center that has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, contemporary Florence is intensely engaged in managing and marketing its cultural heritage - a heritage that is especially important to Western art historiography.
Vert found both the materials and the inspiration for his work in Impruneta—a town in the Florentine countryside where, following a long-standing tradition, terracotta products are made from regional clay deposits known for their frost resistance and distinct coloring. Venus Mortadella and David Soppressata were created using a material mix of differently pigmented marble dust along with various pieces of marble and a tile adhesive to connect them together. The exterior forms are ready-made objects and replicas of classic Florentine Renaissance terracotta sculptures, such as those often found in Impruneta shops and market booths.
In a departure from the regular terracotta replicas that are often displayed outdoors or carried back from vacation by Tuscany enthusiasts, Vert has cut his sculptures into slices and laid them out horizontally. The inner surfaces show patterns inspired by Italian sausage specialties, namely mortadella and soppressata, a dry salami. In a humorous twist, Vert has both the figure of David from the Old Testament and that of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, reappear “in the flesh,” so to speak. Both figures have been endlessly reproduced in European art history since antiquity, especially during the Renaissance, an era devoted to the revival of antiquity. Vert’s contemporary interpretation and its hybrid connection to sausages as one of Italy’s major culinary cultural assets speaks to a common exploitation logic. It also questions the fundamental exportability of cultural identity and the techniques and motifs associated with it.
Text: Lena Reisner; englische Übersetzung: Amy Patton
Viron Erol Vert’s Venus Mortadella and David Soppressata were created during his months-long residency as a fellow at Villa Romana, a cultural institution in Florence. The Tuscan capital, which boasts an economy largely dominated by tourism, viticulture, arts and crafts, and olive oil production, is often called the “cradle of the Renaissance.” With its rich history, internationally renowned museum Galleria degli Uffizi (Uffizi Gallery), and historic center that has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, contemporary Florence is intensely engaged in managing and marketing its cultural heritage - a heritage that is especially important to Western art historiography.
Vert found both the materials and the inspiration for his work in Impruneta—a town in the Florentine countryside where, following a long-standing tradition, terracotta products are made from regional clay deposits known for their frost resistance and distinct coloring. Venus Mortadella and David Soppressata were created using a material mix of differently pigmented marble dust along with various pieces of marble and a tile adhesive to connect them together. The exterior forms are ready-made objects and replicas of classic Florentine Renaissance terracotta sculptures, such as those often found in Impruneta shops and market booths.
In a departure from the regular terracotta replicas that are often displayed outdoors or carried back from vacation by Tuscany enthusiasts, Vert has cut his sculptures into slices and laid them out horizontally. The inner surfaces show patterns inspired by Italian sausage specialties, namely mortadella and soppressata, a dry salami. In a humorous twist, Vert has both the figure of David from the Old Testament and that of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, reappear “in the flesh,” so to speak. Both figures have been endlessly reproduced in European art history since antiquity, especially during the Renaissance, an era devoted to the revival of antiquity. Vert’s contemporary interpretation and its hybrid connection to sausages as one of Italy’s major culinary cultural assets speaks to a common exploitation logic. It also questions the fundamental exportability of cultural identity and the techniques and motifs associated with it.
Text: Lena Reisner; englische Übersetzung: Amy Patton