The main idea of Michelangelo Pistoletto might be expressed as follows: in the contemporary world Art cannot just deal with Aesthetics. It also has to take into consideration Ethics. Actually Pistoletto's consciousness of the vacuity of the "self referential" artist dates back to the early '60s: while painting his self-portrait he noticed the black colour he was putting on the canvas reflected what was behind him. In that very moment Pistoletto realized that his face was less important of the rest-of-the-world. Hence his mirrors, artworks in which there is plenty of room for hosting (inside the artwork itself) everything that is reflected, observers included of course. A "welcome art philosophy" we might say. Anyway an art where persons, nature, objects and the environment play quite a crucial role. In 1964 a Pistoletto's mirror painting was acquired by MoMA NY.
In the very many following years Pistoletto used different artistic forms (painting, sculpture, installation, performance) while the basic idea of a socially involved art turned into that of the art as a means to actively promote, experiment and implement social responsibility. This view inspired the institution, in 1998, of Cittadellarte (literally Art Town) - Fondazione Pistoletto, a non profit foundation based in Pistoletto's home town - Biella - as a concrete action of the Progetto Arte Manifesto proposing a new role for the artist in the societal fabric: that of placing art in direct interaction with all the areas of human activity which form society.
Cittadellarte is therefore "a great laboratory, a generator of creative energy that ignites creative processes of development in diverse fields of culture, production, economics and politics".
Consistently with such a vision (and its derived mission) Cittadellarte is structured as a cellular living organism: it is constituted of areas of competence, named Uffizi or "bureaux", each devoted to investigate and study the interaction between the transforming potential of art/creativity/culture and the specific field of activity.
Currently the following Uffizi are active: Education, Economy, Ecology, Production, Nourishment, Spirituality, Politics, Communication, Art, Work, Architecture and - from 2009 - FASHION. Since 1998 very many activities and projects have been carried out in Cittadellarte, in direct involvement with the socio-cultural and economic environments they were realized in (be it in Piedmont, of course, but also throughout Europe, the Mediterranean Sea and beyond). These include exhibitions and events, laboratories, university courses, seminars, think tanks, a Journal, etc. .
In the last years Cittadellarte has devoted an increasing effort in experimenting and communicating Cittadellarte's vision as Pistoletto expressed it by the concept of the "Third Paradise", resulting of the "merging" of the first and the second paradise.
"The first is the paradise in which life on earth is totally governed by nature. The second is the artificial paradise, developed by human intelligence through a process that today has reached globalizing proportions. This paradise is made up of artificial needs, artificial products, artificial commodities, artificial pleasures and every other form of artifice. A truly artificial world has formed, and is now polluting, infecting and corroding the natural planet at an exponential rate, spawning irreversible processes of extinction. The danger of a tragic collision between these two spheres has now been announced in no uncertain terms. The Third Paradise project consists of leading the artificial, that is to say science, technology, art, culture and politics, and restoring life to the Earth. Third Paradise signifies the passage to a new level of planetary civilization, essential for assuring the survival of humankind. The Third Paradise is the new myth that leads everyone to take personal responsibility in this particularly epoch-making period. The New Sign of Infinity draws three circles: the central one representing the womb of the Third Paradise".
This "Weltanschaung" of an Art as an engine of social transformation with the aim of achieving the Third Paradise inspired new projects, such as - in 2008 - the event "Turning Point Architecture", an exhibition of the best projects of
natural architecture realised in Italy, selected in collaboration with ANAB the National Association of Bio-ecological Architecture.
CITTADELLARTE FASHION
Quite coherently with the Third Paradise philosophy, Cittadellarte Fashion BEST- Bio Ethical Sustainable Trend is going to be the most outstanding Cittadellarte event in 2009, the FAO year dedicated to natural fibre. "Cittadellarte Fashion – Bio Ethical Sustainable Trend is opening a workshop in Biella dedicated to the development of fashion based on the principles of sustainability". As you probably know, eleven fashion designers, selected by Franca Sozzani and Michelangelo Pistoletto, on September 22nd next will present their creations: dresses and suits made of high quality natural textiles and textile material provided by companies (big and well known such as Zegna, Loro Piana, Piacenza etc. but also medium-small sized and even companies who obtain their textiles from hand-crafted production). An ad hoc installation by Pistoletto will be unveiled.