Giulia Abate, Art connoisseur, has for many years been dedicated to supporting the Art world through the realisation of various Art projects. In 2017, she founded the Mucciaccia Gallery Project -formerly Mucciaccia Contemporary- a Contemporary Art Gallery in the historical centre of Rome that aims to give visibility to emerging artists. Since 2018, together with her brother Riccardo, she has been managing the Claudio Abate Archive, which collects the works of the famous photographer. Since 2021 she has been the artistic director of the 21 Gallery in Villorba (Treviso). Finally, in 2022, Giulia Abate co-founded the company BAM! to promote Art on an international level, also involving the private sector.
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Art, whatever it takes – RomeArtProgram has made interviews with people involved in Art, living in Italy, the USA and the UK, to know their feelings during these hard times.
-> Giulia Abate Interview:
RomeArtProgram: When and how was the Gallery founded? Which are its special features?
-> Giulia Abate: Founded in 2017 under the artistic direction of Giulia Abate, Mucciaccia Gallery Project focuses on the search for new artistic proposals, organising unprecedented exhibitions in the spaces of Via Laurina in Rome. The Gallery stands out for its commitment to promising contemporary artists with a fresh and original style. Located in the heart of Rome’s historic centre, the Gallery exhibits visionaries of their time, a new generation of artists who are reinventing the concept of Contemporary Art. Working with a diverse range of artists from all disciplines, the Gallery is a platform for the most influential Art being made today.
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RAP: What is your definition of “Art” today?
-> Giulia: Art is the aesthetic expression of the interiority of the human soul: it reflects the artist’s opinions, feelings and thoughts on social, moral, cultural, religious and political spheres. Art represents the subjectivity of objectivity; it can propose its own idea of the future, offering a variety of possible scenarios. Even if it doesn’t change things, Art can still influence and inspire the lives of many people by opening their minds and making them appreciate the beauty of the world.
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RAP: Art is dynamic and regenerates itself… how does it change, and how did it change us?
-> Giulia: Art is always changing according to the times and socio-cultural changes in which we live. Artists are the mirror of our contemporaneity. The one thing that never changes is the need for artists to express themselves. It’s also true that Contemporary Art is often poorly understood because we need a foundation that gives us the ability to understand the different artistic languages. Art is part of our collective imagination and influences us by always leaving us with a story, a narrative of our time. Art always leaves a mark when we come into contact with it, so it’s similar to watching a film.
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RAP: What role does Art play today? Are there “great figures”, or institutions, who have recently changed it?
-> Giulia: Art has many roles, but it all starts with the artist’s need to communicate & express something personal, social or even protest. Then there is the role of the viewer, who interacts with the Art, gives his own interpretation and also teaches something. For the viewer, Art can sometimes have a different meaning from that of the creator. There are three visions of Art: those who make it, those who see it and those who enjoy it. The institutions that play an important role in the Art world are the ones that should have the courage to eschew easy ‘mainstream shows’, give a voice to hidden talents and support the artists of our time, even risking misunderstood exhibitionss.
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RAP: How have the new technologies & media changed Art today, improving or worsening it?…challenges?
-> Giulia: New technology in Art can sometimes help, but when I think of technology applied to Art, I have to say that I am quite old-fashioned. I like analogue media, where the Art can be seen and touched, where the Art has a three-dimensionality and where you can immerse yourself & feel the power and the pictorial matter. This is probably because I am still of an older generation.
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RAP: Which is the real role of Academies and Art schools today? What can artists learn from these institutions today?
-> Giulia: Institutions have an important role to play in training the artists of the future. In the 1900s, Academies produced great masters, but today Academies need to be supported. They must give artists freedom and not homogenise them, but it’s necessary to help the Academies to support young artists, who are our future. Mucciaccia Gallery Project organises the annual group exhibition ‘Chiamata alle Arti’, dedicated to supporting the Italian Fine Art Academies & their students to exhibit their works in the Gallery.
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RAP: How do Art Galleries and Museums position themselves today, and, in your opinion, how should they?
-> Giulia: Art Galleries & Museums promote, select and provide a qualitative meritocratic filter. They promote Art through cultural mediation of artistic proposals. Galleries need to take more risks and perhaps the market will reward the bold and the brave.
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RAP: …will Art save us?
-> Giulia: Real Art always saves us…
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@mucciacciagalleryproject
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Art-as-Power
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