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Space Change. Mark Lewis & David Tremlett in Forte di Bard

Two of the most famous names of the international contemporary art scene are showing work together in an important exhibition organized at the Forte di Bard from March 28 to July 4, 2010: Space Change. Mark Lewis, David Tremlett in Forte di Bard. David Tremlett born in 1945 in Sticker (Cornwall) and is famous in the whole world for his “wall drawings” executed in many important museums and galleries. The filmmaker Mark Lewis born in 1958 in Hamilton (Canada) represented Canada at the Venice Biennial Exhibition in 2009. They have both made new and site specific works for the exhibition which will be installed in the Gunners areas of the fortress. Their works have given voice to the history, space and soul of this unique and fascinating place on the outskirts of Valley of Aosta.

The exhibition offers two “solo shows” that come together through dialogue and reflection.
David Tremlett has produced a series of innovative “wall drawings” by stretching out with both hands pastels and colored pigments, as usual, directly on the walls surface of the Cannoniere rooms, and using this time another material such as grease, who spreads and “scratches” with the tip of his fingers to recall the great historical war events of this fortress. It comes out a great and potent and vigorous work which fits quite perfectly this environment owing to its palpable physicality as if it has been since ever a part of it. The artist performs his works, which often are permanent but may also last just for an exhibition time, with the conviction that experience of creation is higher valuable than work durability.

Mark Lewis has made a new film on location at the Forte di Bard entitled Forte!, the film was made using a helicopter and consists of a single continuous shot of just under seven minutes. The film begins in the snow covered mountains surrounding the Forte di Bard and slowly descends over the fortress, gradually revealing the unique grandeur of this military architecture. Typical of most of the artist’s films, Forte! is silent. In addition to this new work, shown for the first time at the Forte di Bard, the exhibition will also include three other film of his: Algonquin Park, September, 2001 (2′, 43”), Algonquin Park, Early March, 2002 (4′, 6”), and Rush Hour, Morning and Evening, Cheapside, 2005 (4′, 34 ‘). Lewis’ works follow closely the spirit of the first Lumière films and are often characterized by continuous and unedited shooting. The images are projected in shot-sequences directly on the walls of the exhibition space. Each film is produced with professional films techniques (crew, actors, 35mm film); however, the final result is never a traditional movie in the sense of the term: it does not tell a story and rarely exceeds five or six minutes.

The exhibition is curated by Nicoletta Pallini. Two bilingual catalogs (Italian and English) published by the Forte di Bard include color reproductions of the exhibited works, organizer’s texts, John Haldane’s text for David Tremlett’s catalogue and Simon Menegoi’s ones for Mark Lewis.

The David Tremlett’s permanent work, especially created for the Bookshop of Fortress of Bard, will be presented on this occasion as well as a catalog dedicated to him that gather the whole documentation of his last ten working years.