A Voyage of Discovery through 2000 Years of European Art

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Jesse Miller
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The Right Moment, the art platform ZOTT Artspace Munich views art history from a new perspective.

1 Press Release Wolfgang Beltracchi painting Das Martyrium der Rosa Luxemburg in the artistic voice of Max Beckmann. For the series "Treasure Rooms" Mauro Fiorese photographs the archive of the Museo di Castelvecchio in Verona, A Voyage of Discovery through 2000 Years of European Art With the project Kairos. The Right Moment, the art platform ZOTT Artspace Munich views art history from a new perspective. By transforming historically significant cultural moments into new picture motifs, they make the creative processes of great masters come alive through the exceptional artist Wolfgang Beltracchi. Making 2000 years of art history come to life in one exhibition is perhaps hardly possible, states art patron Christian Zott. And yet the idea, which first cropped up in 2016, wouldn t let him go. Together with the artists Wolfgang Beltracchi and Mauro Fiorese, he decided to tackle the challenging project. Titled Kairos. The Right Moment, the exhibition will bring to life the progression of art from the classical era up to the middle of the past century. The most important eras and art movements in Europe will be elucidated through contemporary paintings, each of which will be created using the artistic voice of a style-defining artist. The motifs capture events from the lives of these masters that although they were significant in their respective eras were never painted. Wolfgang Beltracchi, with his unique ability to appropriate the painting methods of all kinds of artists, will rectify this. For example with his painting Das Martyrium der Rosa Luxemburg, created using the voice of Max Beckmann. Using the artistic voice of Lucas Cranach the Elder, he brought Martin Luther s thunderstorm experience to canvas. The exhibition will also be showing new works and motifs using the artistic voices of Caravaggio, Vermeer, Goya, van Gogh and many other artists. The creation of the works is an essential part of the project Kairos. The Right Moment, as it offers the unique opportunity to truly understand the painting methods of artists long dead. ZOTT Artspace is documenting on film and with photos how Beltracchi sketches and paints the motifs. The development of ideas for the motifs by Christian Zott and the ZOTT Artspace team will also be elaborated upon for visitors. Starting in October 2018, the works, which range from Roman frescoes through the Renaissance and up to the modern era, will be shown in various European cities in a travelling exhibition.

2 The paintings will be juxtaposed with photographs by Mauro Fiorese. Fiorese, who died at the end of 2016, was one of the most significant contemporary photographers in Italy. His photographs of museum archives allude playfully - and through their aesthetics almost ironically - to the mechanisms of the art world. They give rise to the question who or what decides what hangs upstairs in the museums and what stays hidden in the basement. Through their works, Wolfgang Beltracchi and Mauro Firoese take visitors to areas of the art world that until now have been hidden from public view. And both reveal how art is formed by the changing dynamics of time and society. Kairos. The Right Moment Exhibition Dates and Locations Italy 5 October - 3 November 2018 Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana Piazzetta S. Marco Venice Germany 17 November - 21 December 2018 Barlach Halle K Klosterwall Hamburg Austria, France, Spain Exhibitions in planning

The Brains Behind the Exhibition Painter, Photographer and Man with the Ideas Wolfgang Beltracchi The painter Wolfgang Beltracchi Wolfgang Beltracchi, the son of a church painter, was born Wolfgang

3 The Brains Behind the Exhibition Painter, Photographer and Man with the Ideas Wolfgang Beltracchi The painter Wolfgang Beltracchi Wolfgang Beltracchi, the son of a church painter, was born Wolfgang Fischer in He assisted his father from an early age, immersing himself in his art books. This enabled him undetected and seemingly incidentally to develop the foundations of his understanding of art and to acquire a level of skill that would see him go on to repeatedly astound professionals and eventually deceive them. An exceptional talent, he was initially rejected by art school because his paintings were so good that nobody believed that they had actually come from his own hand. Later, after having been accepted, he left academia early because he was bored. He then lived a nomadic life for a year, traveling around as a hippie and an artist. He met Helene Beltracchi in 1992, adopting her surname after they married. The name Beltracchi stands for one of the largest worldwide art forgery scandals in history. Today, it stands first and foremost for an artist with unique talents. Three Questions for Wolfgang Beltracchi What do you want to achieve with your paintings for Kairos. The Right Moment? The surprise at being confronted by paintings that never existed, but which you think you recognize, can in the best case inspire you to see the painting itself instead of its market value. My hope is that this will start a discussion about how art can regain its freedom from the market and be more present in society. You have developed a special manner of painting method painting inspired by the well-known acting technique method acting. How would you explain it? In order to be able to paint using the voice of an artist, I have to completely understand and analyse them and their environment. This research, or rather appropriation of their style includes for example understanding how the artist thought, their experience with colours, textures, light and history, how they applied paint, the intensity and rhythm of their manner of working, the background behind the choice of motifs and their social environment. And only then do I begin to actually paint the motif that Christian and I have developed together. In Kairos. The Right Moment your works will be exhibited next to works by the photographer Mauro Fiorese. What fascinated you about working with him? First, I was impressed by the dissident character of his photos from the Treasure Rooms of various museums. In my opinion, these works call into question the power experts have over the public s access to art. Art doesn t need to be legitimised. The juxtaposition of Mauro s photographs and my paintings could encourage a dialogue about the freedom of art from two perspectives.

The photographer Mauro Fiorese ( 2016) Mauro Fiorese Mauro Fiorese (1970-2016) is one of the most internationally renowned photographers of our time.

4 The photographer Mauro Fiorese ( 2016) Mauro Fiorese Mauro Fiorese ( ) is one of the most internationally renowned photographers of our time. His work is exhibited in locations such as the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, and the Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea in Milan. The Italian began his career as a professional American footballer. However, after an injury brought his sporting career to an abrupt end, Fiorese threw himself into the world of photography. The subject of imperfection has become a recurring theme through his work. His early series Corpolibero focused on living with a disability and, in 1997, propelled the newcomer into the list of the top 100 photographers in the world as named by the Ernst Haas/Golden Light Award. Numerous accolades followed. For two decades, Fiorese shared his skills as an author and professor of photography, teaching in New York, Milan and Verona. In 2014, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. On his blog, the family man kept a personal visual diary about art and illness. He died on December 4, Three Questions for Mauro Fiorese (Verona, im Juli 2016) Where did you get the idea for the series Treasure Rooms, which will be shown in the exhibition Kairos. The Right Moment? This kind of idea naturally doesn t just appear like a sudden, unforeseen inspiration, but developed step by step over time. The spark, the first idea came to me while I was in my studio with some friends. We were standing in front of one of my projects and began to discuss it. We spoke about the differences between the works, and the enormous number of artworks that our ancestors had created in Italy, most of which nobody unfortunately ever gets to see. This conversation eventually led to the idea for the treasure rooms. What were your greatest challenges for taking these photographs? The greatest challenge was to understand these places and give an account of them. Not like a journalist, but rather to convey the soul and dignity of the places. To do that, I looked for a very personal approach to the project. I didn t arrange anything, but positioned myself in order to capture the atmosphere in these treasure rooms. The concept goes way beyond photography. It wasn t by chance that we put the photographs, which are a contemporary form of art, in a universal frame, a let s say Flemish frame with a brass sign plate. Like a container that is a reminder of a place nobody can see. When would you call the project Kairos. Der The Right Moment a success? For me, the success lies in the idea, which inspired me from the first moment. On first impulse, you could think that success can be measured against commercial goals or by media response. But for me it s more adrenalin: the freedom to work on the idea, the luck of working with people I can discuss the idea with over dinner, inspiring one another and when you think you ve messed it all up, to start again together from the beginning. In the lifetime of an artist, it is rare to find many opportunities of this kind.

5 The art patron Christian Zott Christian Zott Christian Zott was born in 1960 in southern Germany. The search for what is truly essential and critical reflection on processes has shaped his life professionally as well as personally. At the age of 27, he began his entrepreneurial career by founding mse Solutions GmbH, today an internationally renowned company for supply chain management with offices in Munich, Lübeck, Singapore, Pittsburgh and Chicago. At the age of 50, he turned over the daily operations of the company to his management team and took some time off to hike for seven months and 5,000 kilometres across southern Europe from west to east. His aim was to take time for reflection and to develop new projects, which he is realising as patron of the arts, adventurer and restaurateur. Christian Zott has been collecting contemporary art for many years and engages with art from a philosophical point of view. In ZOTT Artspace in Singapore, German and Italy, he exhibits paintings, photographs, videos and sculptures, creating an unorthodox platform for artists and art enthusiasts to meet and exhibit their work. Three Questions for Christian Zott What is the message behind Kairos. The Right Moment? We want to encourage people to think about the history of art and masters of art on our continent, but also allow people to just enjoy art. The project offers insights into art that most people never get. Mauro Fiorese s photos offer a peek behind the scenes of major museums. Wolfgang Beltracchi lets people look over his shoulder as he paints. I hope, and I believe, that these kinds of experiences will make it possible to deeper relate to a work of art. Where did the idea for the project come from? It started with the series Treasure Rooms by Mauro Fiorese. He got access to the archives of major museums and photographed them. The surprisingly atmospheric photos made me start thinking. How much of our cultural inheritance do we actually see? Building on this thought, Mauro, Wolfgang and I developed the concept for an exhibition whose goal is to make things visible. The exhibition is part of ZOTT Artspace can you tell us about that? ZOTT Artspace is always about directly addressing the senses. It began with two exhibition spaces in unusual locations. One in the Dolomites, high up in the mountains. Far away from the big city and white cubes, we wanted to break away a bit from traditional viewing habits. In Singapore, we combined the exhibitions with good food and drink. And with Kairos. The Right Moment the focus is to more fully understand art by experiencing it as it is created.

6 The photos provided may be used freely for press purposes with inclusion of copyright information, which can be found in the respective file information. For more information, please contact: ZOTT Artspace Kristina Behrend phone +49 (173) press@zottartspace.com Elsenheimerstr Munich, Germany About ZOTT Artspace ZOTT Artspace is an international communication and exhibition platform for artists and art lovers whose goal is to offer experience-orientated access to the world of contemporary art. ZOTT Artspace offers space for painting and photographs as well as installation and video art. Events and exhibitions take place in permanent spaces in Munich and the Dolomites in Italy as well as various temporary locations. ZOTT Artspace was founded by the art patron Christian Zott.

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