Stefano Cagol is going to present his VISIT-project The Body of Energy (of the Mind) at the Manifesta 12, which is about to start in Palermo on June, 16.
Manifesta 12 is the European nomadic Biennial and attracts visitors from all over the world. The innogy Stiftung supports the exhibition in Italy, which makes the project lasting.
Cagol is part of the project cassatadrone.org
An Interview with Stefano Cagol
Mr. Cagol, what will your exhibition at Manifest 12 be like?
STEFANO CAGOL: In Palermo I will present my on-going project “The Body of Energy (of the mind)” (TBOE), for what I had the support of the innogy Stiftung. It will be a performance and large scale projection at Piazza Magione, which is the centre of Manifesta 12. In “TBOE” I visualize energy and energy exchanges between people and the environment through the vision of an infrared camera. In this context, heat is an expression of energy and is also a symbol for life. I'm invited by the curatorial platform “Arts & Globalization” to be part of their program "Art & Connectography. Remapping the Global World through Art Practice”. Additionally, I am going to realize a series of improvised performances in other places of the city encountered during the days before the official public performance.
How did VISIT support you for the Manifesta 12?
When VISIT heard about Manifesta 12, they immediately told me that they would love supporting my participation again. I did not expect VISIT would help me for this further – unpredicted – "TBOE" project development. So I was even happier when they did! The team of director Stephan Muschick and project manager Daniela Berglehn are sincerely interested in the artists and their work, so the contact between us is very direct and warm. This is very special and distinguishes VISIT from most of other programs – even from the habits of most of the institutions and museums.
What was the best experience during your VISIT project "THE BODY OF ENERGY (of the mind)"?
All in all, it was a really intense experience. When I started the "TBOE" project, I only knew that my first performance would be at “Bergen Kunsthall”. I didn’t know what the next stop would be. Since then, I have not stopped for six months, moving from Norway to Gibraltar. I have travelled 20.000 kilometres to work at continuous public performances and myriad explorations. I got in contact with countless museums, public institutions and nonprofit initiatives. You can see, it was an unbelievable time for me with many great experiences. Anyhow, some moments were very special. The most massive involvement of people happened in Salerno – near Naples – in the fantastic UNISA university campus. Hundreds of students participated in my work. The collective energy was amazing.
And what's next?
The result of the Sicilian step of “TBOE” will remain on view till September, 20 in Palermo at “Cassata Drone”, that involves three international artists: Maria D. Rapicavoli, Raqs Media Collective and me. After that, there are many projects planned. The next ones are starting this year. Throughout June, one of my video works – which was also exhibited at the German Ministry of the Environment in Berlin for the climate conference of the UN COP 23 – will be shown on the impressive media façade of the Museion in Bozen. The occasion is the tenth anniversary of the museum. In November, I will participate in the OFF Biennale Cairo, directed by Simon Njami and curated by Valentina Gioia Levy. I’m looking forward to these next steps!
