Of logos and volumes: Interview with Ricardo Fornoni, owner/curator of Resolution Gallery
by Michael Smith
In the last few months, Johannesburg has seen a flowering of art
galleries. A few months ago wecovered the opening of Art Extra in
Craighall, and now, a bit closer to Jozi's inner city and squarely in
the middle of the city's burgeoning art quarter of Parkwood, new kid on
the block Resolution Gallery opens. Owned and curated by Ricardo
Fornoni, the gallery specialises in the exhibition of digital art,
aided by the presence of the on-site eye2i fine art printmakers. In
partnership with eye2i, Resolution Gallery also specialises in the
production of Giclée prints.
Michael Smith spoke to Fornoni about his gallery, its intentions and the importance of good design.
Michael Smith: Ricardo, Resolution has been active since about mid-2007. How are you finding the Johannesburg scene? Ricardo Fornoni: Interesting. First of all, we have seen the
proliferation of new art galleries in and around Johannesburg which can
only have a positive effect on gallerists, artists and definitely the
public, catering to a variety of tastes and tendencies in the South
African art scene. An example of this buoyancy and momentum was this
year's successful Joburg Art fair - the first fair of its kind that
focuses on contemporary African art.
MS: I notice that your site states the gallery was 'established
by Goldblatt and Fornoni, 2007': can you clarify the ownership and
curating rules for me? RF: Steven Goldblatt is a silent partner in the business, and an
advisor extraordinaire. I am the main curator of the gallery, but in
the near future I am working on inviting other guest curators to
collaborate with me, or to offer them the option to curate a show from
beginning to end.
MS: You launched your gallery with the express purpose of
focusing on the production and exhibition of digital work. Doesn't this
limit your scope? RF: I like challenges. My apprenticeship started more than a
decade ago - at the beginning of the so-called 'digital revolution' in
printing - with the use of digitally originated imagery. Even though I
recognize the validity of all artistic expressions, I identify very
closely with digital and technological influence in art forms. While
others may think that I am limiting myself through this focus, I see it
as being true to my personal vision in how I would like to see digital
art develop in this country. I think that not focusing on the
specialised area that I believe in, and have experience in, would be
deviating from my goal.
MS: The strip of Jan Smuts Avenue where your gallery is situated
is a sought-after area to place a gallery; how welcoming have your
neighbouring gallerists been? RF: In general I have had a very positive experience with my
neighbours. I believe that our relationships will continue to grow and
- just as building any relationship requires commitment and respect -
they will develop positively as long as we recognize that we all are
working together to achieve the same end, in other words the
development of a healthy and vibrant art community.
MS: One thing I notice about your shows is that you always have
such amazing posters: tell ArtThrob a bit about their production, and
also their importance for your gallery. RF: For the gallery the posters are not only an important tool
of expressive communication, but are a celebration of happenings. We
want to leave a legacy: through documenting the events (the shows) we
are documenting the development of the gallery space and the people who
are involved with it.
MS: In a similar vein, I was thinking recently about the absence
of significant branding in local art galleries and museums. The
billboards for the recent Marlene Dumas show at the Standard Bank
Gallery in Johannesburg brought this home to me: all one got was a
massive Standard Bank corporate logo, paired with a repro of one of
Dumas' paintings. There was no sympatico between the ham-fisted
corporate blue and the nuanced colours of Dumas' work. There seems to
be no sense of the importance of branding, or even design. The
Johannesburg Art Gallery is another case in pointÔøΩ As someone who
recently moved to SA, where do you think local museums and galleries
are in terms of this kind of thinking? RF: This is a big question, and complicated questions result in
complicated answers. Let me explain. Any given piece of design - in
this case the design of visual publicity materials for exhibitions - is
affected by the dynamic that exists between the client and the
designer. It is here that the designer has a vital role to play in, for
example, challenging the client and providing convincing design
alternatives that minimize the prominence of the corporate identity and
focus on the artistic input.
From an outsider's, or newcomer's perspective, it is quite surprising
to see the importance of branding in South Africa. You don't see much
evidence of this kind of dialogue between the content of shows and the
promotion and production of marketing materials. The corporate
logo/identity often seems to be louder than the actual importance of
the main event or artistic content. I don't want to undermine the role
that sponsorship and sponsors can and do play, but particularly when
you are promoting new artists you do not want the corporate brand to
overshadow the artist's identity. But what I believe is important is
balancing the importance of the artistic message - the main focus - and
the respectful and well-balanced incorporation of the sponsor's brand.
MS: Tell us about your latest show, called 'Faces'. You've
matched up SA artists Diana Hyslop, Alf Khumalo, George Mahashe, Sally
Shorkend and Marc Shoul with Spanish artist Angel Haro. What kind of
dynamic is created by this? RF: The idea behind 'Faces' was to create an umbrella effect
where different approaches are brought together. These ideas and
approaches came from painters and photographers, guided by a common
theme, creating a visual dialogue of opposites, with each of the
artists on show contributing their own individual flair, like having
one conversation with different opinions.
MS: What else can Jo'burg look forward to from Resolution Gallery in 2008? RF: Consistently good shows, starting with our next exhibition - 'Anima' - which opens on Thursday May 8.
Resolution Gallery
142 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkwood
Tel: (011) 880 4054
Email:
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www.resolutiongallery.com
