Sunday, September 26, 2010 at Extra Moenia Gallery in Todi, Italy
Exhibition opening: ‘Interruptio: Don Kimes, Rossella Vasta’ and concurrent release of the book “INTERRUPTIO” (pub. EFFE Fabrzio Fabbri Editore)
On September 26, 2010 the exhibition “Interruptio: Don Kimes, Rossella Vasta” opened on the occasion of the release of the book by the same name.
The book “Interruptio”, an anthology of essays on the concept of interruption, grew out of conversations between Vasta, who was recovering from a major physical illness at her home in Corciano, Italy, and her friend and fellow artist from the United States, Don Kimes, who also suffered from an illness after a flood had destroyed his home and most of his artwork from the past 25 years. Both artists came to recognize that interruptions which were personally devastating in each of their lives had also served as catalysts for creative activity. They were able to recover from their illnesses and produce artwork that would not have been possible without those experiences.
At the opening and book release a panel discussion was presented by contributors to the book. Writer/journalist Antonio Carlo Ponti introduced the book and talked about the Thoreauvian comment that “Every creative event that ever happened in the history of the world was an interruption. Unexpected. Unplanned for”*. This quote, used as a subtitle for “Interruptio”, serves as the inspiration for each of the chapters in the anthology.
Among the chapter authors who spoke at the event were noted doctors, neurologist Pierluigi Brustenghi and psychiatrist Laura dalla Ragione, who spoke passionately about how mental illnesses interrupted patients’ lives and the complex relationships between doctors and patients, as well as between mind an body, in the efforts to restore one’s mental and physical well-being. Paola Bianchini, Professor of Aesthetic Philosophy and Pedagogy at the University of Perugia, reflected on her own experience and the subject of interruption from a philosophical point of view. Photographer Antonia Mulas spoke about her own life experiences with wit and literary taste, while Marianna Santoni, a photographer and digital expert who collaborated with Vasta on her piece ‘Digital Path’ (included in the exhibition), spoke about the nature of comprehending a personal experience through the utilization of a new media. The artist Rossella Vasta, who alongside Kimes originally conceived the idea for the book, revealed through the pages of her diary as it foretells the visionary capacity of interruption in the images produced during the year preceding her major “life interruption”. The discussion was concluded by artist Don Kimes, who spoke about the concept of interruption in terms of its role in the creative process, as he described it in the book. Other chapter authors who did not speak at the panel include Kristine Kiefer Hipp, Professor in the Doctoral program in Leadership at Cardinal Stritch University in Wisconsin, Elisabeth Lewis , art therapist and professor at the University of Alverno, professor Gaetano Mollo from the University of Perugia Humanities faculty, and the artist Barbara Schwartz (1949-2006) who wrote of the historical interruption represented by the events of September 11, 2001 and her response as an artist.
Gratitude was also expressed by all to Gallery Director Giuliana Dorazio, who hosted the exhibition and the event celebrating the release of the book, as well as to publisher Fabrizio Fabbri of EFFE Fabrizio Fabbri Editore for publishing the book. “Interruptio” is dedicated to the ability of art to function in terms of sustainability and a portion of the profits from its sale are being donated to the DAI Center, which helps women with eating disorders and related problems, in Citta dela Pieve, Italy.
** From “The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail”, a play by J. Lawrence and R.E. Lee, 1970, Hill and Wang, p. 27
Video of the panel discussion "Interruptio"
