In my agenda there had been noted, a long time ago, a particular weekend not to be missed for two reasons: on Saturday 1st of November the presentation of the ArchivorumArk project in the recently established Archivorum Library, and the closure of the Artissima Exhibition held from 31/10–2/11 in this picturesque Italian city of the North.
But firstly, and above all, I had the “possible mission” (to paraphrase the well-known movie Mission Impossible) to deliver to the Archivorum Team the pièce d’œuvre that Babs Haenen had recently created. It was a porcelain mini-sized artwork (12 cm × 9.5 cm), resembling a small ship – as Babs intended – In blue and white to honour The Netherlands and China, using the same technique as the rest of her unique artworks. It was destined to protect the hard drive containing the whole archival material I have been working on during the last 19 months, from the beginning of my entrance to the archival team. I even had the joy to ‘contribute’ a little in an intimate, simple and personal way: I was asked by Babs to create a handmade little pouch of felt to protect the hard drive. I did it with real excitement and I believe it matches aesthetically very well. I even embroidered her name!
I arrived early Friday evening in Turin – coming from Geneva after a four-hour drive – and directed myself to the Archivorum Library housed at Franco Noero Gallery, where I met the rest of the team. The “precious” object was placed together with those for Nil Yalter and Belén Uriel at the designated spot and they were truly catching everyone’s eye!
On Saturday afternoon, the Archivorum Ark project was presented to the public more completely, since important milestones have now been reached and the three artists’ books are about to take form. The audience had the opportunity to watch a very interesting video explaining Archivorum’s creation and its objectives. As for me, I once again had the honour to participate in the presentation, which was coordinated by the project manager Rossana Miele and Davide Colapinto of Galleria Continua, while my teammates Anaïs and Stephen attended the discussion via Zoom from Montreal and New York, respectively. A most remarkable fact was also the presence of the well-known artist Belén Uriel, who kindly spoke about her work and its archiving. Everyone was there – Archivorum, Fondazione Antonio Ratti and Galleria Continua. And, of course, being surrounded by a plethora of wonderful art books added to the experience. It was a pleasant and successful event!
On Sunday, I entered the grounds of Artissima and began wandering around the booths of the galleries and Publishing Houses represented. After a while, I made my way to the booth of Mousse Publishing House, who will be in charge of Babs Haenen’s publication. There, I had the pleasure of meeting the editorial coordinator Emma Passarella, who kindly gifted me a book I had chosen (due to my archaeology background as well): Le Nemesiache – Reclaiming Mythological Rituals, curated by Sonia D’Alto in collaboration with Marea Art Project.
Feeling the aura of the entire exhibition, I was absorbed for several hours by many artworks, truly admiring the creativeness and imagination of each creator. Having had the great opportunity this year – thanks to Archivorum – to visit three international exhibitions (Art Geneva, Art Basel and Artissima in Turin), a secret wish came to my mind: if only one day I could have the chance to participate as an artist in one of them. Just a dream for now!
Everything was wonderful in Turin. Beyond my professional obligations, and having organised my schedule well, I found the time to visit the Palazzo Reale of the Savoie, where I admired extraordinary pieces of art decorating its majestic chambers, as well as the Cathedral and several other churches.
I took leisurely strolls through Turin’s historic centre, fascinated by the city’s Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical and Art Nouveau architecture. The picturesque piazzas were all surrounded by exceptional buildings with elegant facades, arcades and porticoes.
And the highlight of all, before leaving Turin to return home: during a little walk through Parco del Valentino by the bank of the River Po, I had an unexpected encounter with an adorable squirrel, who enthusiastically fed from my hand and even entrusted me to be photographed!
This trip marked a key milestone in completing the archival process and finalizing the Archivorum database. I am now focused on the final phase of the project: creating Babs’s critical publication. I look forward to sharing the steps and outcome of this work very soon.