La Recherche
de L’Oeuvre Absolue
Solo exhibition, 2024
Villa Arson, Nice (France)
Curated by Vittorio Parisi
de L’Oeuvre Absolue
Solo exhibition, 2024
Villa Arson, Nice (France)
Curated by Vittorio Parisi
Where should we begin in our presentation of
La Recherche de l’Œuvre Absolue (The Quest of the
Absolute Artwork), CANEMORTO’s first exhibition
at the Villa Arson?
Probably by the story it tells. That of the businessman, banker, commander, and more especially famous occultist who bequeathed his name to the Villa: Pierre-Joseph Arson. Before he became first Consul of Nice under the Sardinian restoration, “commander Arson” became known through a strange occurrence: for several years he had paid a substantial annual allowance to the Polish mathematician and philosopher Josef Hoëné-Wroński, who had promised to reveal to him the secrets of the Absolute. This is the better known part of the story. It is said to have inspired Honoré de Balzac when he wrote La Recherche de l’Absolu (The Quest of the Absolute), whose hero, Balthazar Claës, was supposedly Pierre-Joseph Arson’s literary alter ego.
There is another lesser known, or even hidden story, the details of which CANEMORTO will reveal to us without asking for anything in exchange, apart from an act of faith. CANEMORTO are here to unveil the secret of the Absolut Artwork, a work capable of pleasing audiences from the entire world and from every era – a secret that, according to them, only Pierre-Joseph Arson possessed. In order to seize it, the artists explored the most obscure corners of the Villa, desecrated graves, and practiced alchemy to its very limits.
Haters will say this part of the story is false. At best, an amusing fan fiction. But CANEMORTO have never attached much importance to recognizing the limits between truth and fiction. The only thing that matters to them is the will of Txakurra, a dog shaped divinity whose followers they are, the inspiration for all their artistic actions: whether in the street or in the studio, on a wall or on canvas, CANEMORTO’s “trine paintings” are a divine gesture, both ironic and weird, spontaneous and brutal, demanding the greatest devotion and the deepest contemplation.
To narrate La Recherche de l’Œuvre Absolue, CANEMORTO have created an artistic and initiatory journey in two parts: a short film and a cycle of paintings – or better still, a cycle of serigraphic monotypes that can function as paintings – which will shed light on every detail concerning the Villa Arson, a venue abounding in stories and secrets, both luminous and obscure.
Vittorio Parisi
WATCH THE TRAILER
Filmed and edited by Marco Proserpio
Written and performed by CANEMORTO
Audio recording, audio mixing and original music by Matteo Pansana
Screenprint assistance by Arturo Amitrano (56fili)
Photographs by JC Lett / Villa Arson Nice
Probably by the story it tells. That of the businessman, banker, commander, and more especially famous occultist who bequeathed his name to the Villa: Pierre-Joseph Arson. Before he became first Consul of Nice under the Sardinian restoration, “commander Arson” became known through a strange occurrence: for several years he had paid a substantial annual allowance to the Polish mathematician and philosopher Josef Hoëné-Wroński, who had promised to reveal to him the secrets of the Absolute. This is the better known part of the story. It is said to have inspired Honoré de Balzac when he wrote La Recherche de l’Absolu (The Quest of the Absolute), whose hero, Balthazar Claës, was supposedly Pierre-Joseph Arson’s literary alter ego.
There is another lesser known, or even hidden story, the details of which CANEMORTO will reveal to us without asking for anything in exchange, apart from an act of faith. CANEMORTO are here to unveil the secret of the Absolut Artwork, a work capable of pleasing audiences from the entire world and from every era – a secret that, according to them, only Pierre-Joseph Arson possessed. In order to seize it, the artists explored the most obscure corners of the Villa, desecrated graves, and practiced alchemy to its very limits.
Haters will say this part of the story is false. At best, an amusing fan fiction. But CANEMORTO have never attached much importance to recognizing the limits between truth and fiction. The only thing that matters to them is the will of Txakurra, a dog shaped divinity whose followers they are, the inspiration for all their artistic actions: whether in the street or in the studio, on a wall or on canvas, CANEMORTO’s “trine paintings” are a divine gesture, both ironic and weird, spontaneous and brutal, demanding the greatest devotion and the deepest contemplation.
To narrate La Recherche de l’Œuvre Absolue, CANEMORTO have created an artistic and initiatory journey in two parts: a short film and a cycle of paintings – or better still, a cycle of serigraphic monotypes that can function as paintings – which will shed light on every detail concerning the Villa Arson, a venue abounding in stories and secrets, both luminous and obscure.
Vittorio Parisi
WATCH THE TRAILER
Filmed and edited by Marco Proserpio
Written and performed by CANEMORTO
Audio recording, audio mixing and original music by Matteo Pansana
Screenprint assistance by Arturo Amitrano (56fili)
Photographs by JC Lett / Villa Arson Nice
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