The prolific production of Marlene Dumas

Fondazione Stelline, Milan, March 21st.  I'm almost getting there late, despite my super moped.

My friend send me a message: <It's at the civic 61!>. I know, I know… but that's not a useless SMS, coz in Corso Magenta you can find so many Museums, Galleries and Monuments that you could easily get lost. We are exactly opposite the Cenacolo Vinciano, where Dan Brown could get inspired.

The n°61 of Corso Magenta is now hosting a personal exhibition of Marlene Dumas work, with 15 new paintings specially made for the Fondazione Stelline, out of 22 presented. The exposition will close on June, 17th 2012, so you have enough time to think about the possibility to come here and discover an artist (as I did) or refresh your memory (if you already know her).

Marlene Dumas was Born in Capetown, South Africa, in 1953. She went to Amsterdam where she studied psychology and dedicated her life to painting. 

I don't want to loose time talking about her life, since you can better get informed here and here.

I found her paintings, in Milan, elegantly inserted in the white spaces of the Fondazione. That space is extremely domestic, despite the white walls, because of an old style parquet. Made of clear wood, it "sounds" under your feet, but in a not threatening way. I think this is important, because Marlene's work could even let you annoyed or scared and this selection, in particular, talks about a lost domesticity.

A century ago the Fondazione Stelline didn't exist. The former building, restored around 1986, guested an orphanage and the "Stelline" ("Little stars") lived here. This place was a house of everybody, but at the same time nobody was really at home. This strange situation has been well described, by Antony Vidler, as "uncanny" and "unhomely" ("perturbante" in Italian).

Marlene Dumas tries to represent this sense of unhomeliness. She has always concentrated on the bodies and the suffering of the human condition, but here can find a new inspiration, not new for the conceptual aspect, but for the formal iconography.

She paints starting from pictures -as F. Bacon did- in her studio. She can be said Expressionist in her way to represent her thoughts, more frequently trying to let the awkwardness flow on the paper, than obtaining a plastic effect by the paint. A consistent part of her work is composed by water-paintings-like drawings: a liquid reproduction of the humanity.

The exhibit has also a special room where a long video (63') shows her life and work, a good decision to better understand Marlene. The presentation itself is not exactly astonishing, I loved few drawings of those made for the Stelline. But the mix of children and ghost effect is always a winning choice, very effective.

 

The numerous crucifixions, on the contrary, always leave me quite bored. There was only one (Gravity, 2012) that really made me stop to look at.

I loved the pink portrait of Amy Winehouse, but maybe because my personal appreciation of Amy's work, and pity for Amy's life.

Trying to summarize the exhibition: Marlene Dumas is one of the contemporary artists to know and see. Fondazione Stelline is the correct place, always.

The 22 paintings forming "Sorte" are not all deserving of a visit, but those to be seen are definitely valuable.

I think every visitor will find their personal proportion of Yes and No, but the Yes will surely compensate for the No.