with a performance centered on an edible still life conceived by Andrea d’Amore in response to the works exhibited in Joran’s atelier and to a selection of Van Gogh’s paintings. The installation and performance draw upon Andrea’s reflections on conviviality and sociality in relation to The Potato Eaters; on themes of fragility, violence, and sacrifice found in both Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear and The Bullfight at Arles; and on the intriguing hypothesis that Van Gogh may have suffered from pica, a psychiatric condition characterized by the consumption of non-food substances. According to some (non reliable) accounts, Van Gogh may even have ingested pigments used in his paintings. While no conclusive evidence supports this claim, Andrea has been inspired by the speculative idea that the ingestion of color might have altered the artist’s perception, enabling him to see the world differently and perhaps contributing to the extraordinary chromatic intensity that defines his work, particularly his landscapes, as for Wheat Field with Crows.

The dominant whites and blues of Joran’s paintings thus become opportunities for mimicry and transformation in the construction of both the performance and the still life. Blending into the studio through a process of visual assimilation, Andrea’s installation becomes an extension of the space itself. Following the performance, the still life will be shared and consumed, inviting guests to metaphorically “eat” Joran’s atelier—an invitation to embrace multiple forms of experiencing art, as well as the possibility of a metamorphosis of the ways of seeing the world around us – as maybe happened to Van Gogh.

text by Rita Duina