L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 A rt wants to stir our emotions and our thoughts, to pro- voke in us a reac- tion. It wants to of- fer new points of view and suggest original ways to inter- pret what's around us. One can condemn or can dream of a whole new world. One can paint a Guernica against the violence of war, just like Picasso did, or go for magical art like the Sur- realists, who found refuge in imaginary worlds because rationality and logic only led to the horrors of World War Two. You can even give up the dream of a lifetime, just like Jacopo Tissi – pride and joy of Italian ballet – did, by giving up his place as the principal dancer at the Bol- shoi in Moscow, because "no war can ever be justified." But we can also use places, monuments, or ancient sym- bols to deliver unusual messages. One may not like a David covered in a black sheet and in mourning, but reinterpreting art is interesting. In 1919 Marcel Duchamp gave Leonardo's Mona Lisa a mustache. An offense? Not really. Dadaism broke rules on purpose to carry out a conceptual revolution that replaced official languages with total expressive freedom. Nothing bet- From singing on our balconies during the pandemic to the courage of art against the war From the Editor ter, for the French-naturalized-American artist, than using the most iconic image of western art for such a desecrating act. Christo and Jeanne-Claude, a famous artistic duo, in 1974 wrapped a large section of the Aurelian Walls in Rome, built between 270 and 275 AD to protect the capital from enemies, with polypropylene. The installation, called "The Wall, Wrapped Roman Wall," wasn't really understood. Most Romans thought local authorities were carrying out restora- tion works. They didn't understand, but it was an incredible provocation: it wanted to make people aware. The act of "hid- ing" was key to the artists' creative philosophy: because the object was somehow taken away, because it was hidden, its presence was at once exalted. Its absence made it desirable. The object was there and, once hidden, it became paradoxi- cally more prominent: the void it left, its absence made it bla- tant. It is interesting, then, to wonder about the messages asso- ciated with art, about its ability to provoke. But it's also curi- ous to read symbols and monuments anew, in a modern key, as well as delivering modern meaning through them. When we see the façade of a public building illuminated with the colors of a flag, or of a social event, we're not only witnessing a powerful communication strategy, but also an artistic provocation. In the past days, Sting showed us the importance of rein- terpreting art. "I've rarely sung this song in the last years because I didn't think it would have been relevant again." But, as if clocks turned back, his "Russians" turned into a contemporary piece that reminds us all we must stop the war now. The British singer had written it during the Cold War, in 1985, in a world scared of the atomic bomb. But many analo- gies, including the dangerous advancing of the Doomsday Clock, which is now only 100 seconds away from its "mid- night," make us believe it's been just written. That's why it's important to propose it again, highlighting its message and its call for peace. Because destruction brings only more destruction, while we must return to speak the language of humanity, which we all share. The case of "Bella Ciao," the Italian popular song that has b e c o m e , t h r o u g h o u t t h e y e a r s , t h e s y m b o l o f I t a l i a n "Resistenza" (and which is still controversial today) is just as interesting because it turned into an anthem of freedom and resistance all over the world. It isn't the first time that, even if exported and decontextualized, reinterpreted and adapted to events that are from those which inspired it originally, it managed to preserve its revolutionary power, its combative and idealistic spirit. Popular Ukrainian folk singer Khrystyna Soloviy covered it, adapting its lyrics and dedicating it to "all of our armed forces, to our heroes and to all those who are fighting for our country right now." The video received more than 66.000 views on Youtube, in just 24 hours. While this new war shakes our conscience, lengthening the tragic list of all the conflicts weighing on our souls that we have not been able to avoid with diplomacy – neither on this or the other side of the ocean – it is very useful to reflect on the messages that art and music can deliver. Just like it was useful to sing from our balconies during the pandemic. We were looking for strength together, we wanted that human contact the virus denied us, we wanted to help one another. We wanted to feel close to each other and over- come our fears, pain, anxiety, and anguish together: feelings we still can't pack away in a box in the attic. We were defend- ing our humanity from all that could put it at risk. This is exactly what we should do now, for this war. Simone Schiavinato, Editor Simone Schiavinato NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Member of FUSIE (Federazione Unitaria Stampa Italiana all'Estero), COGITO L'Italo-Americano 610 West Foothill Blvd. Unit D, Monrovia, CA 91016 - Tel.: (626) 359-7715 PLEASE SEND CORRESPONDENCE TO P.O. BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano Newspaper (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization), www.italoamericano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian newspaper in America, not to mention the cultural and news resource for all things Italian in the US. A bilingual newspaper which represents an historical landmark for the Italian American Communities in the West Coast and throughout the US. L'Italo-Americano benefits from subsidies by the Italian Government, Memberships and Donations intended to support and not interrupt a mission that began in 1908 to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the USA Periodicals postage paid at Monrovia, California 91016, and additional mailing offices. PUBLISHER Robert Barbera Grande Ufficiale EDITOR IN CHIEF Simone Schiavinato ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Patrick Abbate EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Barbara Minafra COPY EDITOR Francesca Bezzone LOS ANGELES CONTRIBUTOR Silvia Giudici SAN FRANCISCO CONTRIBUTORS Catherine Accardi Serena Perfetto SEATTLE CONTRIBUTOR Rita Cipalla CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mariella Radaelli, Francesca Bezzone, Luca Ferrari, Stefano Carnevali, Paula Reynolds, Nicoletta Curradi, GenerosoD'Agnese, Fabrizio Del Bimbo, Maria Gloria, Alfonso Guerriero Jr., Anthony Di Renzo Serena Perfetto, Kenneth Scambray, Chiara D'Alessio © 2020 L'Italo-Americano Membership: One year $59 - Single copy $2.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to L'Italo Americano PO Box 6528 Altadena, CA 91003 Mail form and check to L'Italo-Americano, P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003

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