“In a different way, conceptually, this work is a challenge for me, for the artist I invited, for the curators who in turn invited me to carry out this project which mixes and blurs everyone's roles and skills.”
— Cai Guo-Qiang interviewed by Jérôme Sans, Art to Art VI, 2001
Invited by Pier Luigi Tazzi for the 6th edition of Arte all'Arte, artist Cai Guo-Qiang created the contemporary art museum UMoCA – Under Museum of Contemporary Art in Colle di Val d'Elsa.
"It is the very particular character of Colle Val d'Elsa's political and cultural history that stimulated the project by Cai Guo-Qiang, an artist always sensitive to the circumstances of the context in which he has found himself working.
In this case, it is the setup and inauguration of a new small contemporary art museum similar to those the artist has already set up in Japan and China. The museum, called UMoCA (Under Museum of Contemporary Art), is installed under the arches of the San Francesco bridge, built in the first half of the 14th century to connect the city with the Franciscan convent located on the adjacent hill.
Cai is the architect, the director, and the curator of the exhibitions, which will have an annual schedule in conjunction with future editions of Arte all'Arte. UMoCA does not require electricity, except for what is needed to activate the huge neon signs that mark its paradoxical presence in the landscape, air conditioning, staff, or insurance, while it has its own architecture, and contains works of art created by an artist, in this case Ni Tsai Chin, chosen by a curator with the authority granted by a director, who here is Cai himself.
In particular, Ni started as a painter before becoming one of the most important contemporary art critics both in China and Taiwan. When he was appointed director of the National Gallery of Taiwan a few years ago, he invited Cai to hold the first exhibition, which consisted of one of his typical pyrotechnic works, a move that cost him his position. Ni's current participation as an artist for the inaugural exhibition of UMoCA thus marks a reversal of roles and, at the same time, further demonstrates Cai's current interest in highlighting the artist's role in the cultural phase we are experiencing."
Pier Luigi Tazzi, *Arte all’Arte VI*, 2001
Interview by Jérôme Sans
What does UMOCA mean?
Fa parte del più ampio progetto dei MoCA. Il primo è nato l’anno scorso in Giappone e si chiamava DMOCA. DMOCA usava gli spazi di una fornace abbandonata, che in Cina si chiama “forno del drago”, ecco da dove deriva il nome del museo: Dragon Museum of Contemporary Art. E poi questo secondo museo l’UMoCA dove U sta per “under”, visto che è sotto le arcate di un ponte.
Come è nata quest’idea?
Risponde all’apertura dei vari Guggenheim nel mondo, delle catene di McDonald, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Starbucks… La mia ambizione è di superare con la mia catena i Guggenheim in pochi anni, sia per numero che per efficienza. La serie dei miei MoCA sarà più vicina al fruitore locale e offrirà un migliore servizio alla comunità locale nel suo complesso. Storia e cultura locali sono sempre prese in considerazione. Prendiamo per esempio quello in Giappone: anche se la fornace viene dalla Cina, le comunità locali giapponesi sono storicamente luoghi dove si fa ceramica. E ugualmente qui, a Colle, ho usato un ponte che collegava il monastero con la città. Invece del camminamento, normalmente frequentato, ho preferito rianimare il meno usuale spazio sottostante. Mi è giunta voce che il Sindaco abbia particolarmente gradito quest’idea e voglia trasformare il luogo in parco artistico o culturale.
In modo diverso, dal punto di vista concettuale, questo lavoro è una sfida per me, per l’artista che ho invitato, per i curatori che a loro volta hanno invitato me a realizzare questo progetto che mescola e confonde ruoli e competenze di ognuno. Per esempio io e te, Jérôme, abbiamo aspettato dieci anni per poter lavorare insieme e alla fine ecco l’occasione giusta per invitarmi a questa manifestazione e, lo stesso giorno, ti sostituisco assumendo ruolo di curatore.
How will this museum work?
The museum has 10 rooms: 3 exhibition halls, the administration, the collection, the information desk, the gift shop, the cloakroom, the restrooms, and the café. We have two large signs, very important for the museum, far more important than a business card. Our space is limited, but from a distance, thanks to the signs, it looks enormous. The museum has a steering committee, which also includes the curators of this exhibition, the mayor of Colle, and I hope that in the future, wealthy collectors will join as well. In this exhibition in particular, the public can participate in various activities, and the money raised from the proposed games will go into the museum's funds. Every year, I will personally return to curate an exhibition here.
How do you connect this project to the pyrotechnic works for which you are famous?
Perhaps the connection lies in the qualities of improvisation and not having a predetermined working method. These are the traits that unite all of my artistic production. And then there is the interest in the place. In this case, inviting Ni Tsai Chin to participate in this exhibition is linked to the fact that a few years ago, he was the one who invited me to explode his museum. For me, exploding a museum or founding it is the same thing.
Art at Art VI, 2001
Credits
Cai Guo-Qiang
UMoCA, 2001
Colle di Val d’Elsa, Art in Art 2001
Photograph of Attilio Maranzano
© Associazione Arte Continua
