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BERNARD AUBERTIN
Territories of fires

May 15, 2011 –  3 July, 2011
Opening hours: Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, holidays: 10-12 am / 3.00 - 7.00 pm
Free entrance

Inauguration: Saturday 14 May 2011 at 5.30 pm
Artist’s performance at 6.30 pm

Pressrelease

Bernard Aubertin was born in Fontenay aux Roses, France, in 1934. He is well known and respected throughout Europe. Aubertin was part of the artistic turmoil in the 60’s and continues to innovate even today.
During the 70’s and 80’s he was very frequently in Italy, while now he lives in Reutlingen, Germany.
His intense artistic activity encompasses half a century, from his fundamental encounter with Yves Klein to his joining international artistic movements, such as Nul Group in Amsterdam and Group Zero in Düsseldorf in the late 50’s/early 60’s. An uninterrupted string of personal exhibits has followed, along with thematic exhibitions, in Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Sweden, and Spain.

His unique personality leads him to the use of unusual and diverse materials, such as iron, wood and nails. Fire is what he then uses to shape his works. Combustion is thus the most peculiar trait of his art, along with the red color that is symbol of continuous tension and burning.
This exhibit displays some of his most important works from the past, but also focuses on more recent periods. Each period goes under a distinct name: “Dessin de feu”, “Livre brûlé”, “Allumettes sur metal”, “Voiture brûlé”, “Dessin de feu sur metal”. It’s a sequence of works that highlight and interpret daily actions and their repetitiousness, along with the inevitable passing of time.

His objects, survivors of the fire’s damage, turn into metaphysical characters showing their past and the fate they live trapped in the
daily mechanism of reality. This is the underlying, thought-provoking theme, a representation of life and metaphor of the loss of values that is very relevant in today’s world.
The exhibit was designed by Claudio Rizzi and sponsored by Regione Lombardia and Provincia di Varese, catalog (128 pages) published by PubliPaolini. Sixty works are displayed in this exhibit.

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