Rock around the clock(A series of 24-hour exhibitions)

Rock around the clock
(A series of 24-hour exhibitions)

June 4 — July 24, 1998

Ciocca arte contemporanea, Milan

Back in Milan, from Grenoble, I invited thirty Italian artists to create an exhibition that would last only 24 hours at Ciocca art gallery. Pictures and a description of the projects were posted daily on the website of Undonet (several geological ages before Facebook or Instagram existed).

Featuring artists: Sabrina Mezzaqui, Maggie Cardelùs, Corrado Bonomi, Paola Di Bello, Cristina Pavesi, Carlo Bach, Andrea Sperni, Deborah Ligorio, Bianco Valente, Eredi Brancusi, Premiata Ditta, Marco Cingolani, Loris Cecchini, Raffaele Piseddu, Alex Pinna, Brigata Es, Laura Matei, Umberto Cavenago, Pier Paolo Coro, Luisa Rabbia, Francesco De Grandi, Mauro Maffezzoni, Olinsky, Tiziana Fusari, Alessandra Galbiati, Paolo Leonardo, Elisabetta Di Maggio, Laura Attolini, Gabriele Picco, and Daniele Guolo.

Me watching a video by Paolo Leonardo, who had “invaded” Milan with his black and white stickers (next to the TV set). “Rock Around the Clock”, Ciocca arte contemporanea, Milan, July 17, 1998. Photo: Mario Zanaria.

[left] Corrado Bonomi, La Pizzeria Belle Arti, Rock Around the Clock, Ciocca arte contemporanea, Milan, June 9, 1998. Photo: Mario Zanaria. The artist prepared, all day long, with paint and brushes, special take away “art” pizzas.

[right] Loris Cecchini, Rock Around the Clock, Ciocca arte contemporanea, Milan June 25, 1998. Photo: Mario Zanaria. The artist presented a large table with small scale models and props, thus unveiling the setting of the photographic works he was doing at the time.

Sabrina Mezzaqui, One Thousand Origami, June 4, 1998.

During one day, the artist created one thousand origami, a homage to Sadako Sasaki, the young Japanese girl who lived in Hiroshima and died of illness caused by radiation exposure ten years after the atomic bombing in August 1945. According to a popular story, Sasaki fell short of her goal to fold 1,000 origami cranes before her death; thus, her friends completed the 1,000 and buried them all with her. Karl Bruckner told the story in his book The Day of the Bomb (1961). Rock Around the Clock, Ciocca arte contemporanea, Milan, June 4, 1998 | Photo: Mario Zanaria.