Maurizio Cannavacciuolo is a nomad. Although he lives in perpetual and voluntary exile, he is first and foremost a citizen of Naples, the ancient South Italian city that has been a bedrock for artists for centuries. Rich in historically diverse layers of cultures, Naples has given Maurizio his multiple fields of reference and inspired his stylistic diversity. Cannavacciuolo is deeply aware of the cultural dichotomy of North vs South, East vs West. His extensive travels have led him to study, live and explore the Far East and most especially India and Thailand. He is a cosmopolitan, transcultural soul — part painter, part architect, part philosopher, part writer. He is a critical observer who is blessed with an acute sense of the absurd.

Cannavacciuolo began his residency at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in the fall of 2003. At that time he spent many hours with the collection and in the museum archives, exploring Isabella Stewart Gardner's rare book collection as well as her personal travel scrapbooks and guest books. Items of particular interest to him were photographed and set aside. He then returned to the museum in February 2004 and spent five weeks creating an elaborate two-part wall drawing in the special exhibition gallery.

Working methodically every day, Cannavacciuolo and four assistants (April Gymiski, Annabelle Lee, Lazaro Montano, and Beth Olsen) created this site-specific work literally before the very eyes of museum visitors, who were able to view the process through a window built into the gallery door. Slides of specially selected images — drawn from the artist’s experiences at the Gardner and the personal imagery he has developed throughout many years — were projected and traced by hand onto the walls.

TV Dinner included images of Cannavacciuolo’s own early paintings from the 80's and 90's as well as images of everyday life and popular culture that he has been collecting for years. The artist wove together photographs of his native Italy and his travels to Cuba, advertisements, and comic strips by Stan Lee, the creator of Spiderman. These he diligently combined with images he had previously obtained from the museum archives. The resulting multi-layered drawing was a juxtaposition of carefully crafted pictures, culled from his personal world and that of the museum's founder. Each image leads you to the next in a parade of elements. Through this tapestry of images, overcharged with imagination, a subversive Cannavacciuolo delivers a witty commentary on socially controversial subjects. The result is a brilliant juggling act between cultural triviality, emotion, and beauty.

TV Dinner is about privileging a very human act: the act of choice. The viewer can choose to engage with the work in the special exhibition gallery, or not. To engage will mean patiently exploring the two-part wall drawing. As you look beyond the bold primary wall colors and allow your eye to grow accustomed to the lighting, the delicate web of images will slowly come into focus. You will discover much about the eye and the mind of Maurizio Cannavacciuolo. Untangling the thread and finding a satisfying narrative will be each viewer's personal adventure.

Publication: TV Dinner

Learn more about the artist

Interview with Maurizio Cannavacciuolo by curator Pieranna Cavalchini

Q: Why TV Dinner?

A: Because the TV dinner in front of a TV set can fill your stomach and your brain without leaving anything good in either case.

Q: Is that what you are doing?

A: With this exhibition I am trying to do exactly the opposite. You should not trust the bright safe primary colors that can be seen from outside the gallery, but you should step inside the room and be ready to spend a lot of energy in discovering the content of the two white walls. There will be an entire universe under your eyes IF you make the time to see it. This is a machine à penser [a brain teaser].

Q: Are you shocked by the idea that all your work will eventually disappear under a coat of paint?

A: No, actually, because those who saw it will keep the memory as a dream while those who missed seeing it will be able to perceive the imprint left in the space. It is the presence of the absence. In a sense it is like when you go Assisi, you feel something in the air, because a holy man, Saint Francis, spent his life in that place.

Q: Has the museum and its founder influenced you in any way?

A: In a way I feel that Mrs. Isabella Stewart Gardner took me by the hand and led me through her Museum, which is a kind of universe suspended in time. She smiles graciously with irony and melancholy from all the nooks and crannies. In my way I have tried to imitate her smile.

Talk Show
Saturday, March 13, 2004, 1:30 p.m.
Artist-Curator Discussion by artist Maurizio Cannavacciuolo and contemporary curator Pieranna Cavalchini

Exhibition Talks
Drawing the Ephemeral
Wednesday, March 17 at 12:00 noon
Contemporary curator Pieranna Cavalchini

Art historian and critic Marcia Vetrocq on Maurizio Cannavacciuolo
April 28, 2004, 1:30 p.m.

Exhibition Gallery Talks
Every Saturday, 12:00 Noon