Francesco Bonami curates a women-only exhibition in Prato, from Jenny Saville to Paola Pivi

Entitled Hi Woman! The News of the Future the exhibition that runs from December 11, 2021 to February 27, 2022, at the Museo di Palazzo Pret orio in Prato. Curated by Francesco Bonami and promoted by the Comune di Prato - Museo di Palazzo Pretorio, the exhibition welcomes twenty-two contemporary women artists, each with her own annunciation to reveal to viewers: Huma Bhabha, Irma Blank, Koo Donghee, Marlene Dumas, Isa Genzken, Jessie Homer French, Roni Horn, Jutta Koether, Andrew LaMar Hopkins, Maria Lassnig, Babette Mangolte, Lucy McKenzie, Aleksandra Mir, Susan Philipsz, Paola Pivi, Maja Ruznic, Jenny Saville, Fiona Tan, Genesis Tramaine, Andra Ursuta, Marianne Vitale, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. The idea behind the exhibition is not to adhere to an obvious political correctness, but to emphasize the centrality of the female subject in ancient and contemporary narratives.

Through painting, sculpture, video and sound, the 22 women artists will invade the museum putting themselves in dialogue with the works of the permanent collection, aiming to create attunements or short circuits that are meant to be loaded with stimuli for the public. Around the theme of annunciation, the women artists in the exhibition announce different messages, distant mysteries and close realities, each with a powerful and meaningful work capable of sustaining comparison and dialogue with the masters of antiquity. The work of art always carries news, a message.

“With this exhibition once again, the Museum of Palazzo Pretorio questions the theme of dialogue between the many possible contemporaries, between past and present,” says Rita Iacopino, director of the Museum of Palazzo Pretorio. “We want to continue to offer our visitors an opportunity for reflection and new insights into our Heritage,” says Simone Mangani, Councillor for Cultural Policies of the City of Prato.

"Hi Woman! News of the Future,“ explains Francesco Bonami, ”is Pop’s transformation of the angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary projected into the contemporary. This is no disrespect, after all, Jesus himself in the Gospel never calls his mother Mother, Mamma or Mary but ’Woman.’ There is no better known theme in the history of art than the Annunciation. The Angel giving news to the Virgin of the future that will come through Jesus. Beyond the religious connotation of the subject, the theme of the annunciation has been intrinsically linked to art since time immemorial."

“Whether one believes or does not believe matters little,” the curator writes in the text presenting the exhibition. The annunciation to Mary by the angel Gabriel of her pregnancy remains, real or not, a pivotal image in the iconography of a good portion of humankind. Mary finds herself the depository of the world’s future. The Virgin assumes the responsibility of giving birth to the redeemer Jesus without, however, being able to share in the pleasure of this responsibility. It could be said that her mysterious virginity is also the result of suspicion on the part of those around her and therefore a source of guilt for her. A condition that the woman has endured for an infinite amount of time. Absolute creator without ever being able to get credit for this immense creativity of hers. Wanting to be a bit blasphemous, it is as if Maradona’s mother had never been able to go to the stadium or never been able to watch a game of her son on television. Gabriel, the angel, comes along and gives her no choice. A lack of choice that then in the history of human society becomes a condemnation and a tragedy. Tragedy that from Saudi Arabia to Afghanistan we continue to watch helplessly and helplessly. Hi Woman! the aggressive greeting that Gabriel addresses to Our Lady is the title of the exhibition organized at the Praetorian Palace, a museum that holds wonderful annunciations. This exhibition is careful not to be an exhibition about women, feminism or political correctness. It is simply an exhibition with 22 women artists who anagraphically were born women. They therefore share only one destiny. Their views are all different in nature, their art all conjugated in different and not necessarily feminine ways. Being an artist is exactly the opposite condition of being a Madonna. It is a choice, not an imposition. There doesn’t come an angel who without any pleasantries says ’Hey you, from tomorrow you will be an artist.’ Being an artist is unlike motherhood a condition that has nothing to do with biology or destiny. Artists all, whatever their sexual orientation, would like to be able to give birth to their redeemer, that is, the work of art that can change the world. That is what the women artists in the exhibition try to do. Their works are attempts, embryos, that are part of a process of transformation that accompanies the artist all his or her life. The life of an artist, no matter how long it is, is an endless pregnancy."

The exhibition is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. except non-holiday Tuesdays. For info see the Palazzo Pretorio website.

Image: Paola Pivi, Have you seen me before?

Francesco Bonami curates a women-only exhibition in Prato, from Jenny Saville to Paola Pivi

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