FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gaetano Pesce and Angelo FilomenoFilomeno,, An Exhibition On view at La Galleria – Italian Cultural Institute of New York 686 Park Avenue – NYC October 4-27, 2011 Opening night: October 3, 2011 at 6pm Curated by Renata Rosati

New York, 9/21/2011 - Under the umbrella project “ in the World ” - dedicated to celebrating Italian contemporary artists that have been selected by all of the Italian Cultural Institutes around the world together with the Italian Pavilion within 2011 Venice Biennale, curated by Vittorio Sgarbi - The Italian Cultural Institute of New York is proud to host exhibitions by the Italian architect and designer Gaetano Pesce and the Italian artist Angelo FilomenoFilomeno.

Italia in Croce – on the Cross - is a provocative, site-specific installation by Gaetano Pesce, icon of Italian design, originality and creativity.

Recent Works by Angelo Filomeno. On view four of the most significant works by Angelo Filomeno, whose art is based on the combination of different materials, incorporating luxurious fabrics, gems and crystals throughout intricate and meticulous design.

Gaetano Pesce Born in La Spezia in 1939, Gaetano Pesce, architect and designer, has conceived public and private projects in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia, ranging from private residences to garden and corporate offices. His experience has been global, his innovations consistently groundbreaking. Pesce’s multi-disciplinary works are in the permanent collections of the and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in , the Centre Georges Pompidou in , ’s Museum, the Montreal Museum of Art, as well as museums in , Portugal and Finland. He received the prestigious Chrysler Award for Innovation and Design in 1993, the Architektur and Wohnen Designer of the Year in 2006 and the Lawrence J. Israel Prize from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York in 2009. Pesce’s noted museum exhibitions range from his inclusion in the legendary Museum of Modern Art exhibition “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape”in 1972, to his 1996 career retrospective at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, “Gaetano Pesce: Le Temps des Questions,” to his exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2005, entitled: “Pushing the Limits” and the “Gaetano Pesce: Il Rumore Del Tempo” exhibition at the 2005 Triennale di Milano. Among the companies that manufacture his designs are Cassina, B & B Italia, Bernini, Knoll International and Zerodisegno. He has lectured at the most prominent universities and cultural institutions around the world, including Carnegie Mellon in , the Domus Academy in and in , where he has made his home since 1980 after living in Venice, London, Helsinki and Paris. Boundaries between art, design and industry are irrelevant to Pesce, as art is most certainly not something created and put on a pedestal but, indeed “it is a product; it is our creative response to the needs of the time we live in”. In all his work, Pesce expresses his guiding principle: that is less a style than a method for interpreting the present and hinting at the future in which individuality is preserved and celebrated.

Angelo Filomeno combines classical painting with the traditional craft of embroidery to create tableaus that incorporate luxurious materials—such as shantung silk, crystals, and onyx—within intricate designs. In contrast with the immediate allure of the surface, Filomeno’s embroidery paintings are filled with an array of macabre characters: skeletons, beasts, insects, limbs, body parts. Filomeno was born in Ostuni, Italy in 1963 and has lived in New York since 1992. He has participated in two major biennials: the Venice Biennale in 2007, and ARS 06 at the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki. In 2008, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville presented “Eros and Thanatos”, Filomeno’s first museum solo exhibition. He has been featured in numerous group exhibitions at institutions worldwide, including P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, New York; Museum of Arts and Design, New York; Site Santa Fe, New Mexico; the Blaffer Gallery, The Art Museum of the University of Houston; the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan; and KadE Kunsthal, Amersfoort, the Netherlands; and Galerie Lelong, New York. Filomeno’s work can be found in several public collections, including the , Paris; 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa; 21C Museum, Louisville; and Museum of Art & Design, New York.

Venice Biennale in the World at the Italian Cultural Institute of New York

Artists - Gaetano Pesce and Angelo Filomeno Curated - by Renata Rosati October 4 - 27, 2011 OOOpeningOpening ––– October 3, 2011 On view at La Galleria – Italian Cultural Institute of New York 686 Park Avenue – NYC Gallery hours: Monday through Friday, 10am-4pm

Media R.S.V.P. Eva Zanardi Tel. 212 879-4242 ext.333 Fax 212 861-4018 [email protected] www.iicnewyork.esteri.it

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Founded in 1961, the Italian Cultural Institute of New York is an office of the Italian government, dedicated to the promotion of Italian language and culture in the United States through the organization of cultural events. Under the guidance of its trustees at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its advisory board, and its staff, the Italian Institute of Culture of New York conforms to this commitment by fostering the cultural exchange between Italy and the US in a variety of areas, from the arts to the humanities to science. Central to the Italian Cultural Institute’s mission is a constant effort to encourage the understanding and enjoyment of Italian culture by organizing and promoting cultural events in collaboration with the most prominent academic and cultural institutions of the East Coast. The Italian Cultural Institute of New York focuses on the development of initiatives aimed at showcasing Italian excellence in various fields, such as science, technology, the arts and design. The development of academic exchanges, the organization and support of visual arts exhibitions, the grants for translation and publication of Italian books, the promotion of Italian studies, and the cooperation with local institutions in planning various events that focus on Italian music, dance, cinema, theater, architecture, literature, philosophy etc., are just a few examples of the Institute’s initiatives. In conclusion, the Italian Cultural Institute of New York provides an “open window” on the cultural and social aspects of past and current Italy.

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