Cramum Prize 2019, Ludovico Bomben wins with his Three-Legged Compasses

Ludovico Bomben (Pordenone, 1982) is the winner of the 7th edition of the Cramum Prize, whose theme this year was The sky above me and inside me what? Bomben won with his work Three-legged Compass, described by the artist simply as “a big black object.” It is “clear from the start,” Bomben explains, “everything seems to be openly stated in formal and structural precision. The reference to geometry, the mathematical calculation of harmonic proportions, the play of light and shadow, the tradition, the fascination of the calculating instrument... yet something seems to unhinge our perception. It is not only the third leg that makes its possible use useless and thus unhinges the perception of the object, something creeps between the perceiver and the perceived by leveraging the symbolic power and the very meaning of this object.”

Ludovico Bomben, a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, began his research by starting with environmental light installations that aimed to deconstruct everyday environments and places, unhinging the perceptions of those who habitually frequent them, after which he shifted his attentions from the environment to the object, focusing in the study of the relationships between material, language, form and concept. In 2017 he was among the twenty under 40 selected for the Cairo Prize and exhibited at Palazzo Reale, while his solo exhibitions were held in Bergamo, Milan, Treviso, Monfalcone and other cities. Winning the Cramum Prize earned him a path of exhibitions and publications that will end in 2021 with a solo show at the Francesco Messina Museum in Milan.

Ludovico Bomben, Three-Legged Compasses.

In second place was Alessandro Di Massimo (Giulianova, 1983) with his work Icarus, dedicated to the classical myth of Icarus. “In my work,” said the artist, “I wanted to take a step back and dwell on the moment before flight, even before the decision is made; with the aim of shifting the focus to the inner dilemma experienced by those who face this decision. Consequently, my work excludes the figure of Icarus and focuses on the elements that will enable flight: glue, feathers and the sky. These materials form a kind of device that offers the possibility of flight, not only to Icarus, but to anyone who needs it.”

Di Massimo lives and works in Edinburgh and his works combine installation, drawing, wall painting, sculpture, video and explore current issues but also examine human behavior and relationships. He has exhibited in Spain, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Italy.

Alessandro Di Massimo, Icarus

The third step of the podium went instead to Federica Cipriani (Cento, 1983) for her work Cocoonest, created especially for the competition. “Starting from Kant’s words that trace the theme of the competition,” said the artist, “I wanted to explore what the concept of Morality means to me and how it develops within each of us. In the past I have already made, with the Stormi series, an investigation into the concept of individual identity and its formation, in relation to the influences of our surroundings. In this case, however, I focused on the individual and his or her inner world, in its uniqueness and distinctiveness: the result is a work in the form of a nest-cocoon, with an outer structure made of straw and, inside, a set of paper weavings that completely line it as if it were a blanket. The paper fragments of this lining are actually details of photographs of my past and of those who contributed to my education, starting with my family and reaching out to other people who influenced my choices and my moral sense.”

Cipriani graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna and has held exhibitions in Rome, Milan, Catania, Parma, and London. In 2016 she was awarded the Targa d’Oro at the Cairo Editore Art Prize.

Federica Cipriani, Cocoonest

Finally, the Ventura Projects Special Prize goes to Daniela Ardiri (Milan, 1984), who will have the opportunity to participate with Ventura Projects in the next Milan Design Week (April 2020). The award is for her Ritratti series, which stems from the book Auguri.

Ardiri graduated from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in 2008, and has exhibited her work in several galleries in Italy and abroad. Her work has been selected in several competitions promoted by institutional bodies and galleries including Premio Nazionale delle Arti 2010, Premio Ghiggini 2011, Young Talents 2014, Arteam Cup 2016 and 2017. In 2019 he won the Marco Bastianelli Prize for the best photographic book published in Italy.

Daniela Ardiri, 1980, from the series Portraits

The finalist artists of the 7th Cramum Prize were, in addition to the four awardees, Yinglu Chen, Cristina Cusani, Luca Marignoni, Miriam Montani, Niccolò Moronato, Antonella Romano, Federico Polloni, and Sio Takahashi. All the works are on display until Oct. 6 at Villa Bagatti Valsecchi in Varedo (Monza-Brianza), in an exhibition curated by Sabino Maria Frassà and also titled Il cielo sopra di me... e dentro di me che cosa?, where works by Laura de Santillana, Aldo Grazzi, Elena Modorati, Leonardo Nava, Francesco Pignatelli, Fiorenzo Rosso, Aldo Runfola, Paolo Scirpa, Andreas Senoner and Davide Tranchina are also on display.

The exhibition and the Prize are promoted by Fondazione Cure Onlus (patron of the prize) with the City of Varedo and Fondazione Versiera 1718, represented on the Jury by architect Isabella Maffeis. The Prize has obtained the patronage of Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, Istituto Confucio Università degli Studi di Milano, Studio Museo Francesco Messina. Finally, the Prize obtained the support of Ventura Projects and Enoagriturismo Giacinto Gallina. The awards were decreed by the prize’s Scientific Committee, composed of gallery owners, journalists, collectors and intellectuals. These are the names of the members: Ettore Buganza, Cristiana Campanini, Paola Capata, Antonella Cattani, Camilla Delpero, Riccardo Fausone, Maria Fratelli, Federico Giannini, Giuseppe Iannaccone, Rose Ghezzi, Angela Madesani, Isabella Maffeis, Emanuele Magri, Achille Mauri, Fiorella Minervino, Giovanni Monzon, Annapaola Negri-Clementi, Rischa Paterlini, Iolanda Ratti, Fulvia Ramogida, Michela Rizzo, Elisabetta Roncati, Mario Francesco Simeone, Alba Solaro, Caterina Tognon, Francesca Tribó, Lorenzo Uggeri, Nicla Vassallo, Giorgio Zanchetti.

Cramum Prize 2019, Ludovico Bomben wins with his Three-Legged Compasses

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