Project Room #3 | Francesca Schgor. Good Old Neon

Thursday, October 27 at 6:00 PM, the Foundation presents the final event in the 2016 Project Room series, curated by Federico Giani, featuring the performance Good Old Neon by Francesca Schgor (additional showings at 6:45 PM and 7:30 PM; the video documentation will be on view in the Foundation’s exhibition space from November 2 to 11).

Good Old Neon is the performance project that marks a new stage in the five-year-long research of Francesca Schgor (1988) into the themes of masks, shame, dependency, and pleasure. The artist’s range of references includes, in addition to the study of scientific literature on these topics, a patient collection of personal observations and a curiosity free of prejudice, which drives Francesca to observe and absorb into her work not only contemporary fiction and visual arts, but also elements of pop culture, such as music videos.

Crucial in this case is the connection with the writings of David Foster Wallace, particularly the short story Good Old Neon (in Oblivion, Einaudi 2004, pp. 169–215), a heartfelt confession of a suicide, an extreme reckoning of a life spent constantly oscillating between the pursuit of happiness and the inevitability of deception. The texts recited during the performance are inspired by this story. The choice of a performative language and a minimalist stage setup — a mirror, a cushion, a spotlight, an amplifier, and a white line marking the performance space — aims, in the simplest and most direct way possible, to blur the line between reality and fiction, between spectator and performer.

The performance was made possible thanks to the participation of: Daniele Gaggianesi (actor); Laura Massari, Marco Notarnicola, Ilaria Puricelli, Andrea Rana, Massimiliano Saracino, and Chiara Serafini (dancers); Martino Schgor (music).