Galleria Fumagalli presents “Zona Rossa” [“Red Zone”], the new project by Stefano Scheda with Francesco Benedetti, conceived as a moment of reflection on the vulnerability of human being. A unique work that will be on view within the main space of the gallery from 7 to 18 September 2020.
The concept, which was born in a time of rediscovered normality and from the need not to forget the “dark” moments due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is based on the reflection on historical circumstances that we directly experienced, and which have reopened scars that we thought were outdated in the contemporary era. The second half of the last century provided the West with decades of peace, prosperity, and the illusion that progress and science would defeat evil in all its forms. The 21st century opened up with 11 September, followed by a season of terrorist acts occurred in European capitals and by the financial crisis of 2008, all demonstrating our vulnerability. Nowadays, because of the pandemic, we have also had to acknowledge the limitations of medical science. We have found ourselves weak and helpless, passing from a narcissistic and excited attitude to fear and anguish. The aim is to continue to reflect on the limits of human being, keeping alive the memory of what a Red Zone represents for all of us worldwide.

The memory of what stroke and heavily influenced us can be the cultural vaccine against the indifference towards everything we forget. The oblivion and lack of reason/conscience have too often led us to damage our society’s principles and values, as well as the Earth that nurtures us, but also dictates very precise rules that are often broken by our indifference and superficiality. Thus, a microscopic virus has been enough to bring the entire planet down. The Red Zone – which has tormented us for months, held us hostage, made us feel helpless, overwhelmed us, left us inside or outside of it – is a zone of danger, and has occupied the space of subconscious, of pain, but it has also provided us with time for reflection. This is meant to be an intense journey outside/inside the Red Zone in remembrance of the sufferings and of all people who did not survive. Memory is presented through its luminous and immaterial essence that only darkness makes evident. The installation, set up in the indoor room of the Gallery, allows the memory to be processed in an intimate and spiritual dimension.

The Red Zone is also a space where you may feel protected and may find a new vision, but at the same time it serves as a memorial dedicated to a sad experience, when life faces death. Visitors will find themselves alone and suspended in an atopic space where they can freely process their own isolation; they will be invited to photograph themselves or only the red light so as to take a fragment of memory away. They will be asked to send the photos to the Gallery in order to create a shared archive. The work is linked to the permanent installation located in the main square of the town of Marradi (Tuscany), which was conceived for the festival Marradi Campana Dis/Infesta – 2020 edition – (in)Differenza. A variation on the same theme: an anti-monumental monument, a light that will be turned on every day, from dusk to dawn, to keep the memory alive into the darkness of the nightlife. Turning on a red light inside each of us can be the beacon that reminds us of our limits, and invites us to keep our memory and self-awareness alive without losing faith in the future. Annamaria Maggi

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1 September, 2020
“Al via le presentazioni di Zona Rossa di Stefano Scheda con Francesco Benedetti”

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