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Exhibition and Events Onsite

Claudia Losi

Balena project linee annodate / argille disciolte

July 2009

Exhibition and Events Onsite

Claudia Losi

Balena project linee annodate / argille disciolte

July 2009

IN COLLABORATION WITH
We Care, Cooperativa Sociale ONLUS and Comune di Milano, Settore Educazione e Diritto allo Studio

Balena project knotted lines / dissolved clays

Balena Project began in 2004, but the idea of a large fabric whale had taken shape several years earlier, stranded in a space too small to contain it fully. The project arises from the need to create a narrative that conveys a sense of meaning: the image of a large, stranded animal at risk of extinction appears in unexpected places and becomes, for the artist, a tool to trigger collateral situations.
The conclusion of Balena Project, still ongoing, will transform the “wool whale” into many other objects. Its end will not be an end, but a transformation into other small stories. Nothing is thrown away. Not even a thought.

The project

The project is partly linked to a historical suggestion. In the 19th century, parts of the skeletons of large cetaceans were found in the sand cliffs, right in the Piacenza valley, where the artist had spent many summers searching for fossil shells, as fragile as the sand that had preserved them. That plain was once submerged by saltwater. Instead of vineyards and cornfields, there were stretches of algae, mollusks were sedimenting, and castles of calcium carbonate were taking shape. Instead of flocks of birds, as Leonardo said, strange-shaped fish swam, along with large marine mammals.

Finally, a story shared by several of the artist’s friends provided another inspiration: GOLIATH, in the early ’70s, a real whale, disemboweled and preserved under layers of formaldehyde, was shown in Italian and European squares as the attraction of a macabre circus. Transported in a container illuminated by orange lights, it appeared as a stinking and shriveled animal. A deathly image that attracted adults and children, who still remember its enormous eyes wide open toward nothingness.

On a large wall, Balena Project_ knotted lines, 2008, a video animation, is projected, showing drawings in succession, without any particular order. Each drawing represents all or almost all of those who have participated in Balena Project from 2004 to the present. Adjacent to the projection is a “mountain” of clay from which children could “tear” a handful of earth and shape it into small “whale” sculptures.

At the end of the workshop, the little whales were “released” along a stretch of the riverbed of the Piacenza area (Trebbia or Arda rivers) and photographed as they gradually disappeared.

This “liberation” is virtually linked to a campaign to protect the areas in question, which were at significant environmental risk until recently.

Biography

Claudia Losi, born in Piacenza in 1971, is an artist who lives and works in her hometown. She has been involved in various personal exhibitions, showcasing her work across different locations worldwide. Some of her notable solo exhibitions include; 2008 Balena Project at IKON Gallery, Birmingham, UK; La Coda della Balena at Museo Marino Marini, Florence, Italy; Patterns of Identity at Stenersen Museum, Oslo, Norway. 2007 Aria Mobile at IKON Gallery, Birmingham, UK; Hamish Fulton, Claudia Losi at La Marrana Arte Ambientale, Monte Marcello, Ameglia, La Spezia, Italy; Fortezza della Brunella, Aulla (MC), Italy. 2006 Galleria Monica De Cardenas, Milan, Italy. 2005 Balena Project at Lanificio Pria, Biella, Italy; Balena Project Ecuador 2005 at MACC de Guayaquil and Cento, Cultural Pontificia, Universidad Catolica de Quito, Ecuador. 2004 Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Spazio Aperto, Bologna, Italy; Balena Project e altre storie, Lerici, (SP), Italy; Ex Caserma dei Carabinieri (with Antonio Marras), Alghero, Italy; Balena Project Animazione, Via Farini, Milan, Italy; Balena Project Balena di Fiume at The Beach, Murazzi Po, Torino, Italy. 2003 Galleria Monica De Cardenas, Milan, Italy. 2002 Galleria Lindig in Paludetto, Project Room, Nünberg, Germany; ARCO Project Room, Luigi Franco Arte Contemporanea, Madrid, Spain; Rocca Sforzesca, Imola, Italy. 2001 Galleria Monica De Cardenas, Project Room, Milan, Italy; Galleria Primo Piano, Rome, Italy; Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Washington, USA. 2000 Luigi Franco Arte Contemporanea, Torino, Italy; Galleria Zone c/o Graffio, Bologna, Italy. 1999 Galleria Placentia Arte, Piacenza, Italy; Galerie Pascale Cottard-Olsson, Stockholm, Sweden.

Claudia Losi’s exhibitions reflect her ongoing artistic exploration, particularly revolving around themes like nature, transformation, and social issues. The Balena Project in particular has been a central focus in her work, blending art, environmental awareness, and community involvement.

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