photo: Dawid Paweł Lewandowski
2019 was the 40th anniversarsy of the meeting of the two artists which conclusion is the exhibition „The Touch of History”. Natalia LL met Guglielmo Achille Cavellini (whose works are shown with Natalia’s artworks) few years before – in 1975 G.A.C. has presented his art in Gallery Współczesna (Warsaw). He came to Poland with Giancarlo Politi – person connected with Flash Art Magazine. It was one of the firsts presentation of the Cavellini’s artworks outside the Italy. On the opening he met Natalia LL. Before they knew each other from the correspondation. The exhibition is also the first big presentation of the polish artist’s works in the north part of the Italy.
April 29th, 1979 Natalia LL and other artists representanting PERMAFO Gallery – Andrzej Lachowicz, Zbigniew Dłubak – had an opening of the exhibition „La mostra del Gruppo PERMAFO” at Centro Culturale L’Indiscreto (Rome). Coming back to Poland, Natalia decided to visit Cavellini in his house placed in Brescia. This time they have created two artistic actions as a duet – „The Touch of history” and untitled performative presentation of G.A.C.’s costumes.
In 2018 negatives were found in Natalia LL’s home archive. This is why it was possible to produce the documentation of this interesting but, unfortunately, forgotten artistic pieces. This works became a reason to come back after 40 years to Brescia where can meet not artists themselves (Cavellini died in 1990) but their works.
The main element of the exhibition is the title „The Touch of History” work which was created in the Temple of the Capitoline Triad in Brescia build in 73 AD during the rule of emperor Vespasian. This performance refers to the contact of the artists with a monument architecture masterpiece. Natalia and G.A.C. working with their bodies nearly became a part of the Capitolium’s composition, creating narrations with the object. The title point the material haptic contact with the monument which is the witness of the changing history. The performance happened when the space of the Capitolium was open to the people. Today a big part of the building is closed because of the fragile construction and UNESCO area. The photographs also became a important documentation of the monument in this period. Action is strongly connected with the previous activities of the both artists. Natalia LL as an artist with a great knowledge in art history used to refere to the archetypes and Cavellini used to creats his own „egocentric” version of the history, e.g. encyclopedia pages about him as the first amphibian which came anshore.
The works presented on the exhibition are the selected objects to present the full spectrum of artistic interests in the next years. Juxtaposition shows the formation of conceptual art and neo avant-garde in their artworks. The works presented on „The Touch of History” exposition shows the similar interests of the two artists but in the separate directions. G.A.C.’s artworks are mostly connected with his mail art activities – like poststamps or handwritten manifestos on a piece of fabric or on his trousers. Natalia LL is represented by her most known „Consumer Art” photographs, installation „Panic Sphere” or monumental roll with multiplicated picture of a banana hanging nearly 12 metres above the ground. Exposition is arranged in C.AR.M.E. building which was originally a church (now desacralic) with white walls and baroque stuccos what creates amazing space for the contemporary art, especially installations.