Bologna, Maurizio Cattelan's intervention at Arte Fiera unveiled. Here's what his Because looks like.

Maurizio Cattelan ’s (Padua, 1960) intervention as part of Arte Fiera in Bologna has finally been unveiled to the public. There was much anticipation after the announcement of the work that Cattelan would bring to Bologna in the 50th anniversary edition: so here it is, visible for all to see, the Because exhibition project that marks Cattelan’s return to Arte Fiera, and which was made possible by the participation of Mutina, a Modenese company that deals with ceramic interior design and that for seven years has been pursuing the Mutina for Art project, a nonprofit path that since 2017 the company has dedicated to contemporary art to tell the story of the multiple connections between the ceramic company’s vision and the creativity of the present.

Because rewinds the ribbon of history to go back to 1991, when Cattelan, then an unknown 31-year-old at the beginning of his career, “infiltrated” Arte Fiera with an abusive booth. Today, Cattelan is one of the most famous artists in the world and has written an important page in art history: his return to the fair, therefore, is no longer with a squatter’s booth, but with a real stage that offers the artist a chance to manifest himself with a new appearance. An appearance, however, that is deliberately meant to leave the audience without certainty. Because, Mutina explains, “is a short circuit that becomes a story, between broken rules and complicity. It speaks of rebellion and atonement, of spoiling heroes and radical fragility. It celebrates turning and running away instead of giving answers. It confuses virtuous with losers and leaves us amused, embarrassed, complicit. It turns myths into paradoxes and certainties into riddles. It reveals the scratches and hiding places of our consciousness. It reminds us that authority is a limitation, expectation is a burden, contradiction is an antidote.”

Conceived by Sarah Cosulich, curator of Mutina for Art, the Because project is intended to be an unexpected dialogue between two works by Maurizio Cattelan, amplified by the space that houses them. The protagonist of the installation created for the occasion is the Fringe ceramic collection, designed for Mutina by Michael Anastassiades. A ceramic stage that imitates the brickwork typical of so much architecture in Emilia, where two of Cattelan’s works find their place: a black painting Untitled from 1999, reminiscent of Lucio Fontana ’s cuts (which, however, are arranged to form a “Z” similar to the one Zorro used to carve with his sword on the garments of his ill-fated rivals), and It from 2023, a black marble cat from Belgium facing the wall. Will the cat have scratched the work so precisely? It is up to the audience to question what they are seeing. “A seemingly guilty cat,” the curator helps us, “sits next to a resolute abstract painting. Both flee the scene. Their presence speaks of the ambivalence between action and punishment. Who is responsible? And what is the charge? Both are outlaws and heroes, applauded yet blameworthy, rebels yet human, funny yet still ambiguous.”

A partner of Arte Fiera Bologna for four editions, Mutina intends to look at its collaboration with the fair as a chance to get involved and experiment with different formats. Following its participation in 2023, which saw Mutina create a large ceramic stand dedicated to books and publishing in collaboration with Mousse, the company chooses to once again accompany Arte Fiera with a new and surprising project.

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Bologna, Maurizio Cattelan's intervention at Arte Fiera unveiled. Here's what his Because looks like.

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