Stefano Cagol (born September 11, 1969 in

Trento Trento ( or ; Ladin language, Ladin and ; ; ; ; ; ), also known in English as Trent, is a city on the Adige, Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the Trentino, autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th ...

) is an Italian

contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...

ist living in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. He works with

video Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

and installation and

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

in the fields of conceptual art, environmental art / eco art and

land art Land art, variously known as Earth art, environmental art, and Earthworks, is an art movement that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, largely associated with Great Britain and the United StatesArt in the modern era: A guide to styles, schools, & mo ...

, and has reflected for years on borders, viruses, flags and climate issues.

Life

Cagol was born in

. He studied at the Institute of Art in Trento, the Academy of Fine Arts in Brera,

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

and at the

Ryerson Polytechnical Institute Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a Public university, public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Gar ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, where he was a post-doctoral fellow. He also attended the Internationale Sommerakademie für Bildende Kunst in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

and the ICP-

International Center of Photography The International Center of Photography (ICP) is a photography museum and school at 84 Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. ICP's photographic collection, reading room, and archives are at Mana Contemporary in Jer ...

in New York. He was artist in residence at the Künstlerhaus in Salzburg, at the Leube Group Art's Program of Gartenau,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, at the IOR in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 2003 and in 2005, at International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP

New York, in 2010, and at BAR International by Pikene på Broen, in Kirkenes, Norway, between 2010 and 2011. In 1998 he took part in the

Marshall McLuhan Herbert Marshall McLuhan (, ; July 21, 1911 – December 31, 1980) was a Canadian philosopher whose work is among the cornerstones of the study of media studies, media theory. Raised in Winnipeg, McLuhan studied at the University of Manitoba a ...

Program in Culture and Technology in Toronto.

Exhibitions

Cagol held a solo show at MART -

Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto (MART) (''Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto'', in Italian) is a museum centre in the Italian province of Trento. The main site is in Rovereto, and contains ...

in 2000, curated by Gabriella Belli. His public art intervention "Artists' bridges" took place in Bolzano 2002. In 2004, he exhibited at Superdeluxe in Tokyo and the Stefan

Stux Gallery Stux Gallery is a contemporary fine art dealership located in Manhattan, New York City. Artists represented/exhibited by the gallery have included Doug and Mike Starn, Vik Muniz, Andres Serrano, Dennis Oppenheim, Elaine Sturtevant, Inka Essenhi ...

project room in New York. In June–September 2005 he realized a solo exhibition, "Babylon Zoo" at the Oredaria Gallery in Rome (with a critical essay by Pier Luigi Tazzi), and a site specific installation in the hall of the Faculty of Sociology in Trento. In January 2005 he held a solo exhibition in London at Platform titled "LIES" (catalogue with a critical essay by Mami Kataoka). In 2006, he exhibited "Power Station" as an official satellite project of the

Singapore Biennale The Singapore Biennale is a large-scale biennial contemporary art exhibition in Singapore, serving as the country’s major platform for international dialogue in contemporary art. It seeks to present and reflect the vigour of artistic practices in ...

(the only Italian presence) and "Bird Flu / Vogelgrippe" as special project of 4th

Berlin Biennale The Berlin Biennale (full name: Berlin Biennale für zeitgenössische Kunst, Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art) is a contemporary art exhibition, which has been held at various locations in Berlin, Germany, every two to three years since 1998. ...

, supported by the Civic Gallery of Contemporary Art in Trento, Museion, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Bolzano and the Kunstraum of Innsbruck, Austria. In 2007, he completed a solo public art installation for the façade of the BeursSchouwburg art center in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

(on view from 2007 till 2012). In the same year he realized a project - together with Stealth.ultd, Rotterdam - at Kunst Merano Arte for “From & to,” a solo public art intervention in Venice called "Head Flu,” and a solo show at NADiff - New Art Diffusion, Tokyo. In 2008, he realized a Parallel Event to

Manifesta Manifesta, also known as the European Nomadic Biennial, is a European pan-regional contemporary cultural biennale. History Manifesta was founded in 1994 by Dutch art historian Hedwig Fijen. The first edition took place in Rotterdam. One of t ...

7, a special project for the farewell event of

Jan Hoet Knight Jan Hoet (; 23 June 1936 – 27 February 2014) was the Belgian founder of SMAK (''Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst'' or Municipal Museum for Contemporary Art) in Ghent, Belgium. Biography Jan Hoet was born in Leuven, Belgium. Throu ...

MARTa Herford MARTa Herford is a contemporary art museum in Herford, Germany. Building and history The idea for the museum formed in 2000, drawing from Herford's status as a German center of furniture and home furnishing production. The name ''MARTa'' i ...

in Germany, a public art installation on Petřín Tower at Tina B contemporary art festival in Prague. During the same year he took part in "Eurasia" at

, in “Arrivals and Departures” at White Box, New York city, in “The Peekskill Project” at HVCCA – Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, New York. In 2009, he presented his solo project “11 settembre” simultaneously at MART –

, at Kunstraum Innsbruck, and at ZKM Karlsruhe, where the artwork became part of the collection. With Error One, he realized a public art installation at MuHKA in Antwerp. On September he was announced as winner of the Terna Prize 02 – for the Megawatt category. In 2010, he exhibited at the

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

Gallery of

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

in Newark in “Bittersweet”, at the Other Gallery in Shanghai in “Suspension of Disbilief”, at Palazzo della Triennale in Milan, at SUPEC –

Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center () is located on People's Square (Shanghai), People's Square, Shanghai, adjacent to the municipal government building. Overview The Exhibition Center is a six-story building, with two basement levels ...

. In 2011, he held a solo show at Priska C. Juschka Fine Art in New York titled “Stockholm Syndrome”. He took part in 54. International Art Exhibition –

La Biennale di Venezia The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Architecture Biennale (), which are held in alternating ye ...

with an official collateral event / solo show “CONCILIO” curated by Gregor Jansen at San Gallo Church. His project “The End of the Border (of the mind),” commissioned by the Barents Art Triennale at the extreme northern border of Norway, had its start from the Vajont dam in Italy in the fifth anniversary of the tragedy and developed as a trip / expedition in March and April 2012. He took part in 55. International Art Exhibition –

with the project “The Ice Monolith” part of the

Maldives Pavilion The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about from the Asian c ...

curated by CPS Chamber of Public Secrets at Gervasuti Foundation, Venezia. In 2014 he took part in Critical ways of seeing at Goldsmiths (University of London). Cagol wins in 2014 VISIT Artist in residence program of the German Innogy Stiftung, former

RWE RWE AG is a German multinational energy company headquartered in Essen. It generates and trades electricity in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the United States. In July 2020, RWE completed a far-reaching asset swap deal with E.ON first ...

Foundation, with the trans-national project THE BODY OF ENERGY, that develops between museums and power plants between 2014 and 2015. As winner of the Italian Council 2019 he realized an international project titled "The Time of the Flood. Beyond the myth through climate change" btw Berlin, Tel Aviv, Roma, Venice and Vienna promoted and supported by Ministry of Culture (Italy) MIBAC. In 2022 he realized a performance at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsbur

as part of the exhibition “Power! Light!,” the solo screening “Far Before and After Us” at Kunsthall 3.1

in Bergen and participated in “Pear + Flora + Fauna. The Story of Indigenousness and the Ownership of History,”The Milk of Dreams, 59th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, 2022, () Perak-Malaysia State Pavilion, a collateral event of the 59th Venice Biennal

Public collections

Works by Stefano Cagol are in the collections of Videoteca of GAM, Torino, MART -

, Fondazione Galleria Civica-Center of Research on Contemporaneity of Trento,

Unicredit UniCredit S.p.A. (formerly UniCredito Italiano S.p.A.) is an Italian multinational banking group headquartered in Milan. It is a systemically important bank (according to the list provided by the Financial Stability Board in 2022) and the world' ...

Terna Group Terna S.p.A. is a Transmission system operator, transmission system operator (TSO) based in Rome, Italy. It operates through ''Terna Rete Italia'', that manages the Italian transmission grid and ''Terna Plus'' which is in charge of new business o ...

, Seat, Nomas Foundation,

ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe The ZKM , Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe (until March 2016: ZKM Center for Art and Media Technology), a cultural institution, was founded in 1989 and, since 1997, is located in a former munitions factory in Karlsruhe, Germany. The ZKM (Germa ...

Museion (Bozen) The Museion (from the greek μουσείον, meaning the temple of the muses) is the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Bolzano, in South Tyrol, Italy. It was founded in 1985. Since 2006 it has been managed by the Museion Foundation, fo ...

Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (; abbreviated BMUKN) is a German Cabinet, cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has branches in Bonn and Berlin. The minis ...

References

Books

*Angela Madesani, "Le icone fluttuanti. Storia del cinema d'artista e della videoarte", Bruno Mondadori, Milan, 2002 () *"Dizionario della Giovane Arte 1", Politi, Milan, 2003 () *"Enciclopedia dell'arte Zanichelli", Zanichelli, Milan, 2004 () *"L'Arte contemporanea italiana nel mondo", Skira / operaDarc, Milan, 2005 () *Alessandra Vaccari, "Wig Wag", Marsilio / Pitti Immagine Discovery, Venice, 2005 () *"Singapore Biennale: Belief", National Arts Council, Singapore, 2006 () *Stefan Bidner, Angelique Campens, David Elliott, Andrea Lissoni, Roberto Pinto, "Stefano Cagol: Harajuku Influences", Charta, Milan, 2007 () *

Achille Bonito Oliva Achille Bonito Oliva (born 1939) is an Italian art critic and historian of contemporary art. Since 1968 he has taught history of contemporary art at La Sapienza, the university of Rome. He has written extensively on contemporary art and contemp ...

, "Eurasia", MART – Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto, Skira, Milan, 2008 () *Goetz Adriani, Gregor Jansen, Peter Weibel, "Just what is it..., 10 Jahre Museum für Neue Kunst im ZKM", Hatje Cantz Verlag, Stuttgart, 2009 () *Iara Boubnova, Stefano Cagol, Gregor Jansen, Michele Robecchi, Andrea Viliani, "Stefano Cagol. Public Opinion", Charta, Milan, 2011 () *Stefan Bidner, "Kunstraum Innsbruck 2004–2010", Verlag Walther König, Köln, 2011 () *"Illuminations. 54th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale", Marsilio, Venice, 2011 () *Dorian Batycka, Camilla Boemio, Alfredo Cramerotti, Aida Eltoire, "Portable Nation. Maldives Pavilion", Maretti, 2013 () *"Il Palazzo Enciclopedico. 55th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale", Marsilio, Venezia, 2013 () *Veit Loers, Daniela Berglehn, Andreas Beitin, Tobia Bezzola, Giovanni Carmine, Letizia Ragaglia, Andrea Viliani, "The Body of Energy (of the mind)", Revolver Publishing, Berlin, 2015 () *Julie Reiss, (edited by), "Art, theory and practice in the Anthropocene", Vernon Press, Wilmington, 2019 () *Stefano Cagol, Giorgia Calò, Elisa Carollo, Alessandro Castiglioni, Mareike Dittmer, Silvana Greco, Rachel Rits-Volloch, Nicola Trezzi, "The Time of the Flood (Beyond the myth through climate change)", Postmedia books, Milan, 2021 () *Andreas Beitin (edited by), Ulrike Gehring et. al.,"Power! Light!", Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König, Köln, 2022 ()

Reviews

*“Bird Flu se desplaza por Europa,” Lapiz # 223, Madrid, May 2006, p. 18 *Roberto Pinto, “Stefano Cagol,” Work. Art In progress # 16, Trento, Summer 2006, pp. 50–51, 70-73 *Luigi Meneghelli,”Stefano Cagol,” Flash Art Italia # 261, Milan, Dec. 2006 – Jan. 2007, p. 73 *

June Yap June Yap (; born 1974) is a Singaporean curator, art critic, and writer.Vine, Richard"June Yap's Asia" ''Art in America'', 22 March 2013. She is currently the Director of Curatorial & Research at the Singapore Art Museum. Yap has worked in the cu ...

, “Stefano Cagol; To the casual observer," Contemporary # 91, London, May 2007, p. 28–31 *

Benjamin Genocchio Benjamin Genocchio (born 1969) is an List of Australian art critics (news periodicals), Australian art critic, editor, and non-fiction writer based in New York (state), New York. He is editor-in-chief of ''Incollect Magazine''. He worked as an ...

, “In Peekskill, 2 Shows of Raw Works,” The New York Times, New York, Sept 28 2008 *Robert Ayers, “Wild Animals Invade the New York Art World,” Artinfo, New York, April 2008 *Felicitas Rhan, “Die Mutter aller Daten,” interview, monopol-magazin.de, Berlin, Sept 11 2009 *Francesca Pini, “L’arte del mondo arriva a Venezia ed è Biennale,” Sette – Corriere della Sera # 21, Milan, May 26, 2011, p. 76-77 *Laura Larcan, “Eventi collaterali e contromostre. L’altra Biennale della Serenissima,” La Repubblica, Rome, May 27, 2011 *"54. Biennale di Venezia. An international plaza,” Lapiz # 267, Madrid, 2011, p. 33-41 *Ann Lisbeth Hemmingsen, “Til grensens ytterkant,” Kunstforum, Oslo, March 22, 2013 *Joan Karsbakk, “Lighting up European borders,” Barents Observer, Kirkenes, March 22, 2013 *Luciana Parisi, “TG3,” Rai 3, Rome, March 7, h 19, 2013 *Holly Howe, "How this year’s Venice Biennale made us think about climate change," fadwebsite.com, London, July 26, 2013 *Claudia Jolles, "Editorial: Venice Biennale", Kunst Bulletin, Zurich, #7-8/2013, p. 3 and cover *Mariella Rossi, “Nuestro mundo es finite. Our world is finite,” Lapiz, #279, Madrid 2013 * Georgina Adam, "New economies shake up the art world at Venice Biennale," "BBC", June 11, 2013 *Michela Moro, “Speciale Biennale,” "Cool Tour. Rai 5, June 1, 2013 *Artan Krasniqi, “Bienalja si enciklopedi e hapur e artit,” Koha, June 1, 2013 *Kathleen Massara, “Venice Biennale 2013 Photo Diary,” Huffingtonpost, May 29, 31, 2013 *

Holland Cotter Holland Cotter is an American writer and co-chief art critic with ''The New York Times''. In 2009, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Life and work Cotter was born in Connecticut and grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. He earned his A.B. fr ...

, “Snapshots from Venice,” The New York Times, May 29, 2013 *Tom Jeffreys, “Artistic tales of Earth’s two thawing poles,” The New Scientist, London, UK, Jan 24, 2014 *Bettina Bush, "In quelle segrete diventa arte il vuoto della Shoah," Repubblica. Genova, 24 Jan, 2015 *Anna Saba Didonato, “Un viaggio lungo sei mesi per dar corpo all’energia”, Il Giornale dell’Arte. Arte e Imprese, Sept 2014 *Saul Marcadent "Be-diversity," Pizza, July 31, 2015 *Thale Fastvold,“Green Art,” Kunst, #2, Oslo, Norway, 2015 *Lisa Paul Streitfeld, "(R)evolution in Berlin: Stefano Cagol's Body of Energy," HuffPost. Arts & Culture, 23 Nov, 2015 *Daniele Capra. "Un raggio di luce sparato sui blocchi," Il Manifesto, June 5, 2016 *Alessia Rastelli, "Il risveglio degli stati nazionali," La Lettura, Corriere della Sera, Milano, 24 July 2016 *Francesca Pini, "Sulle montagne il ricordo della Grande Guerra," in Sette, Corriere della Sera, 19 Aug, 2016 *Michela Moro, "Teoria della relatività del vuoto," Il Giornale dell'arte, online, 5 Oct, 2017 *Glenda Cinquegrana,"L'artista dell'invisibile," FORBES LIFE. Forbes Italia, #2, Dec 2017 *Licia Raimondi, "Palermo: la cassata-drone simbolo di riflessione artistica", in La Repubblica Palermo.it, 17 June 2018 *Hedwig Kainberger, "Kunst kann den Wert von Geld vermehren", in Salzburger Nachrichten, Salzburg, 28 Aug, 2018 *Maria Rosa Pavia, "Manifesta 12 a Palermo tra data center e droni, arte vs tecnologia. Dalla guerra al gioco", in Corriere Innovazione, Corriere della Sera, Milano, 18 Sept, 2018 *"Stefano Cagol porta The Body of Energy alla Reggia di Caserta", in Il Mattino, 14 Nov, 2018 *"La monumentale opera video di Cagol a Caserta", in

Artribune ''Artribune'' is a nationally distributed Italian art magazine, based in Rome. It covers current exhibitions, artist interviews, reviews and analyses on topics such as the art market, architecture and design. The magazine was founded in 2011 a ...

, 22 Nov, 2018 *"Stefano Cagol, artista trentino che illumina la Reggia di Caserta", in TGR Trento, Rai, 19 Nov, 2018 *Alexis Caraco, "Alpine festival shines a light on climate change", in Euronews, 13 May 2019 *Francesca Pini, "Il monolite di ghiaccio, monito alla fragilità. L’arte milita nel verde", in Corriere della Sera - Sette, 14 June 2019 *Santa Nastro, "L’artista globetrotter. Intervista a Stefano Cagol",

, 20 June 2019 *Arianna Voto, "Invitato speciale: ghiacciai malati. Intervista a Stefano Cagol", in Radio Rai, 28 Sept, 2019 *Manuela De Leonardis, "Essenza di un viaggio: multivisioni tra confini, ecologia ed energia", in l’Extraterrestre, Il Manifesto, 5 Sept, 2019 *"A Room with a View: Stefano Cagol on his isolation experience", in My Art Guides, 6 April 2020 *Lorenza Barracca, "Tu da che parte stai riguardo il problema ambientale? Ecco l’arte di Cagol che tenta di sensibilizzare", in Il Supernuovo, 14 May 2020 *Ellen Schattschneider, Mark Auslander, "Emergency Flares: Stefano Cagol", in Art Beyond Quarantine, 21 May 2020 *Ilaria Zampieri, "Mito del diluvio e purificazione. Intervista a Stefano Cagol", in Exibart, 18 Sept, 2020 *Azzurra Immediato, "Explorations: Stefano Cagol", in Ottica Contemporanea, 5 Oct, 2020 *Alessandro Castiglioni, Iniziare dall’acqua, in Riflesso, 28 Oct, 2020 *Daniel Lichterwaldt, "Interview. Italian artist Stefano Cagol", in Le Nouveaux Riches magazine, 4 Nov, 2020 *"The Time of the Flood: an interview with artist Stefano Cagol on his exhibition at CCA Tel Aviv", in My Art Guides, 2 Dec, 2020 *Valentina Gioia Levy, "Art talks: Stefano Cagol", in The Collector #6, June, 2021 *Christina Burghagen, "Historisch – Zeitgenössisch", Wochen-Zeitung CH, 12 Aug, 2021 *Francesca Pini, Cult. "Performance: Stefano Cagol", in Sette, Corriere della Sera, 10 Dec, 2021