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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY M ax Papeschi, a protag- onist of Italian contem- porary art, comes back to San Francisco for his second s o l o e x h i b i t i o n . A f t e r F i f t y Shades of Gold, that achieved an immediate success among critics and audience due to the a r t i s t ' s e c l e c t i c c r e a t i v i t y , Papeschi surprises once again with his visionary, out of the ordinary production, character- i z e d b y a n a p p a r e n t l a c k o f obvious meanings and his futur- istic aesthetics, always border- ing on the politically incorrect. Serving as a site for exhibi- tions and public programs, and working with established inter- national and local mid-career a n d e m e r g i n g c o n t e m p o r a r y artists, the McLoughlin Gallery will host Max Papeschi's pro- j e c t f o r a f u l l m o n t h i n September. As explained by G a l l e r i s t J o a n M c L o u g h l i n , "historically, artists have used their artwork to serve as a com- munication tool whereby they can address and memorialize p o l i t i c a l h a p p e n i n g s . L i k e W a r h o l ' s d e p i c t i o n o f M a o , Max Papeschi's various permu- tations of Kim Jong Un's image do not erode the underlying core of his dictatorial, egocentric persona." Created with the sup- port of Amnesty International Italy, the Welcome to North Korea project tries to promote awareness around the crimes perpetrated, yesterday as today, under the North Korean régime. Without any censorship, the artist wants to inform and to enable reflection on the issues, always incorporating playful- ness in the body of his work. " P a p e s c h i ' s u s e o f s a t i r i c a l humor assists in making his works more tolerable and easier to live with," Mrs McLoughlin continues, because "they are great conversation starters as everyone has an opinion about Kim Jong Un. Unbeknownst to us when planning the exhibition, w e h a d n o i d e a t h a t t h i n g s would heat up as they have in North Korea." The inaugural launch of the e x h i b i t i o n T h e L e a d e r i s Present occurred in September 2 0 1 6 i n T u r i n , f o l l o w e d b y Milan, in association with the Fondazione Maimeri, Paris, San F r a n c i s c o , P r a g u e , R o m e , Seville, and Miami. I n a f a n t a s y w o r l d , M a x Papeschi becomes himself a Cultural Ambassador of North Korea, appointed by the Leader himself. Thanks to this imagi- nary role, he builds the story of a contemporary dictatorship through visual contradiction: in his work, detention facilities become amusement parks and the public is taken to a parallel dimension, where the atrocities of Pyongyang's régime are hid- den by grotesque propaganda. With his unique expressive and irreverent style, Papeschi is able to discredit the cult of personali- ty, by taking it to extremes: you will see Kim Jong Un appearing between the cut of a Fontana painting or in a face off with Marina Abramovic. The propa- ganda of the régime is spoofed through the language of contem- porary art divinizing the "Dear Leader," a vivid commentary on the absurdity of the situation and atrocious news coming out of North Korea. Along with the a r t w o r k s a l s o c o m e b o a r d SERENA PERFETTO "The Leader is Present:" Max Papeschi's new exhibit focuses on North Korea's régime with sarcasm and thoughtful art games: Guess Who? – Kim of course, videos of South Park and Teletubbies with a North Korean twist and a special take on semi- nal 80s video game, Kim Pong, i n v i t i n g t h e v i e w e r s t o p l a y a g a i n s t K i m J o n g w i t h t h e inability to ever win against the Leader. How did you get the idea of this show? One of the passions I have developed over time is history, especially the contemporary one. For this reason, my works fea- ture now also some social and political topics. Two years ago, I was in San Francisco and ended u p i n a c o n v e r s a t i o n a b o u t leader Kim Jong Un with a dear friend. That was the beginning o f a n e w a d v e n t u r e . W h e n I w e n t b a c k h o m e , I t a l k e d t o Flavia, my life and work partner, a n d w e s a t t o g e t h e r t o l e a r n a b o u t t h e h i s t o r y o f N o r t h Korea. We discovered the unbe- lievable atrocities of a régime that can be clearly defined as the last real Orwellian régime on the planet. That day I told her: "we must talk about this!" Not only did she immediately agree, but she also supported and helped make this idea come to life. W h a t d o y o u t h i n k t h e exhibit will arouse in visitors? I am not sure what visitors will think, but I know I would like to raise awareness about some important topics, among which the human rights viola- tions happening in North Korea. This topic is nowadays not only relevant, but also sensi- t i v e : h o w d o y o u t h i n k t h e exhibition reflect such a duali- ty? I believe that one thing you can see through my work is my interest in engaging the young generation into what we consid- er the "hot" topics. In my case, I found out that, when talking to millennials, "sarcasm" can be the best way to deal with sensi- tive problems and issues that affect everybody in the world. Amnesty International has been involved in this project. Can you tell us about this col- laboration? When I started working on the Welcome to North Korea project, I felt I needed a trust- w o r t h y s u p p o r t w h i c h c o u l d both provide relevant informa- t i o n a n d b e i n v o l v e d i n t h e defense of human rights. There is no better organization than Amnesty International in the world to do both things. Their representatives in Italy promptly accepted the collaboration and provided valuable tools for fur- ther investigation and final dis- closure. Would you like to see this e x h i b i t a f f e c t v i s i t o r s o n a more emotional level? First, I would like to know that people had some fun and also laughed. Nevertheless, after that, I would expect they reflect on what they saw. I want them to understand why sarcasm can be a great tool to let information spread faster and better. The Leader is Present will be o n v i e w f r o m S e p t e m b e r 1 5 t h r o u g h O c t o b e r 1 4 a t t h e McLoughlin Gallery (9 Geary S t r e e t , S u i t e 2 0 0 ) i n S a n F r a n c i s c o . T h e O p e n i n g Reception will be on September 15 6-9pm. Max Papeschi will be also speaking at the Italia Geeks meetup, on Thursday September 1 4 a t t h e S t a r t u p h o u s e ( 9 3 4 Howard St, San Francisco) at 6.30pm, and will try to engage the audience in a conversation about art, technology, and sar- casm. Both events are open to public but RSVPs are required. Max Papeschi artworks are part of the second solo exhibit in San Francisco Italian Community Services provid Bay Area Italian-American seniors and famili with trusted rourc to help them live healthy, independent and productive liv. 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