Nature slowly awakens, colours invade the whole environment, the most absurd inventions live, and the Chiostro del Bramante is tinged with cheerfulness. This is the contemporary art exhibition “Enjoy – Art meets amusement” by Danilo Eccher, which can be seen in Rome, in the famous museum next to the church of Santa Maria della Pace, until 25 February 2018.
A way to have fun and feel like children: this seems to be the first fundamental message of the singular exhibition, together with living the art, touching it, interacting with it, becoming part of the same artwork. It is then that you are enchanted to look at the optical effects generated by the zoetrope, immersing yourself in a tropical paradise, where hummingbirds and exotic birds seem to fly to those scented and colourful flowers in Matt Collishaw’s creation. But that is not all.
Leandro Erlich’s genius almost takes you to a Luna Park, where the labyrinth of mirrors trapped and entertained everyone. At the same time, the Changing Rooms, through a paradoxical construction of rooms in the rooms, invites the visitor to to go further, to discover even more, not to stop, to distinguish reality and illusion, until he finds the right way.
A tunnel of eyes immersed in the darkness, similar to planets, guides us towards the staircase and then upstairs. A riot of colours generated by large flowers illuminates the walls adjacent to the steps, while a disturbing male laughter echoes in the room. It is perhaps the case to get away, but suddenly the size of things around increases and a giant squared shirt, from which a pair of legs emerges, welcomes us. These are the One Minute Sculptures, designed by Erwin Wurm, which once again aim to involve the visitor. It is possible to become part of one of them, “wearing” for a few minutes the enormous US policeman hat.
And the red woolen sweater? Is that also an artwork? Of course, especially if there are two of you! Wearing a single piece of clothing together, it will seem to have turned into Siamese twins.
And then, that cake … that delicious cake with cream, berries and chocolate flakes is just mine? There are candles, so I will have to turn them off for my birthday … or I can taste a single slice. In the end, what’s wrong?
It is the child inside you who is eager to be revealed and gets excited, asking for only a little bit of Hans Op De Beeck’s work, which immediately introduces the person to a curious room where furniture is overturned. Yet there is something strange: people sit on it, sipping quietly a glass of liquor. Wurm wants the interaction and provokes the visitor: be there to watch, or be part of my artwork.
But what about all those red balloons? They are so beautiful! Who follows me? I want to swim, and walk, and run inside that room! We have remembered our childhood and, attracted by the red and fairy world created by Martin Creed, we open that door, to immerse ourselves in a sculpture composed of air. Everything is so airborne and fluctuating, yet perceptible. Sometimes a few balloons burst, but does it matter? It is part of the game and everything is allowed.
Wonder and curiosity guide you through this tour, up to a giant black chair and white polka dots. Even the tallest people in the room struggle to sit … they seem so small. “When I was a child, my feet never reached the ground and I could swing them”, I found myself thinking. Wait a moment… I can do it again! It is the armchair of Mickey Mouse, created by F. Audrito and A. Sampaniotou, and the message is exactly what we would have expected: “Sit to find the courage to go back to your childhood”.
What else will you expect in the last rooms? Degas’ dancer holds a ball and a pyramid that vaguely resemble the forms introduced by Kandinsky. Ryan Gander suggests that you can play with art history, because artworks are not immutable, but they exist in their becoming, depending on the sensations provoked in the spectator. And the latter are now so powerful that they can explode and quiet down at the same time, in front of the blooming nature in the last dark room, where a screen created by Teamlab becomes a real picture in motion.
Everything ends with a magnificent view from above: dozens of huge flowers are immersed in the blue that covers the courtyard of Chiostro del Bramante, alluding to the splendid Oriental fabrics. Michael Lin’s creation was specially commissioned by Chiostro del Bramante for the Roman exhibition.
Enjoy is a journey into your imagination, absurdity and dream. Alice may have felt similar feelings in the famous Wonderland.
More information are available on the official site of the location: https://www.chiostrodelbramante.it/
Share your photos and feelings in the web and remember to use the hashtag: #enjoychiostro
Open hours:
From Monday to Friday: 10.00 a.m. – 8.00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 10.00 a.m. – 9.00 p.m.
The ticket office closes one hour before the closing time.
Tickets (audio guide included):
Whole: €13,00
Reduced: € 11,00 (65 years old, showing their ID, university students, showing a current document and a university certificate, or a copy of the payment of university fees for the course of study, or the university enrollment receipt for the current undergraduate studies, military forces, members of the police force and their spouses, with document and AT model, physically challenged people, journalists with regular membership card of the National Order (professionals, practitioners, freelance journalists).
Reduced: €10.00 (Boys from 11 to 18 years old, guide with card)
Reduced price: €5.00 (Children from 6 to 10 years old)
Reduced price: €1.00 (Children from 3 to 5 years old)
OPEN: € 15.00 (Available only at the the ticket office of the Cloister. Entry to the exhibition is possible at any date and time)
Family: €30.00 (2 adults with 3 children up to 10 years old and 4th child pays the reduced indicated above, according to their age)
Groups: €11.00 (min 15-max 25 + reservation and microphone € 30.00)
Schools: min 15 max 25 pax
Primary school € 5.00
+ reservation € 20.00
First degree secondary school € 5.00
+ reservation and microphone € 30.00
High School € 5.00
+ resrvation and microphone € 30.00
Educational workshops: € 120, min 15 max 25 (tickets fares, reservation and microphone excluded)
GUIDED TOURS
min 15 max 25
School guided tour € 80
Adult guided tour € 100
Guided tour in a foreign language € 110
(ticket, reservation and microphone rates excluded)
FREE Entry (audio guide included)
Children up to 2 years old
Carer (1 each group)
Teachers visiting with students (2 each group)
Tour escorts
People with invitation
Chiostro del Bramante Card Cloisters
Journalists with regular National Order cards (professionals, practitioners, freelancers) in service upon request by the Editorial Board to the address comunicazione@chiostrodelbramante.it
BOOKING GROUPS
T / M +39 06 68809035 (Active from Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm)/ infomostra@chiostrodelbramante.it
For all other information regarding ticket reductions, bookings, guided tours and educational workshops, please refer directly to the Chiostro del Bramante website.
Copyright photos and photo gallery: Cristina Cumbo
