Geopolitics is a role-playing game, but how to take a stand when opinions and figures swap places, confusing until it is impossible to distinguish between the parties? The new exhibition by Massimo Kaufmann, ready to open in the rooms of the Museo del Novecento in Milan, seems to take its cue from this reflection. Open from May 31st, the review is entitled The rules of the game and is an interactive and performative project, halfway between fun and reflection on the great questions of our time. THE MASSIMO KAUFMANN EXHIBITION IN MILAN The protagonists of the event (on the calendar at the Milanese institution until next August 31st) are four artists’ chessboards. Made of wood and with regulatory measures, the works nevertheless subvert the rules of the famous board game, starting from its first characteristic: that of the juxtaposition of black and white. Although the pieces correspond to those usually used for this type of activity (pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen and king), Kaufmann’s chessboards are characterized by ninety-six different colors: a solution that makes it difficult to carry out the match , creating confusion in the movements, altering the very perception of the race and of the rules underlying the confrontation. ART AND POLITICS ACCORDING TO MASSIMO KAUFMANN The four chessboards (one of which is smaller and intended for children) are a metaphor for war and its conception in contemporary society: the personalities involved vary in place and colour, the protagonists replace each other in a chaotic change of ideologies, leaving the “game” without a real solution. And it is no coincidence that the works on display were conceived by the artist in 2020, a period in which our world was irreparably compromised by the tragedy of the pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict was becoming increasingly concrete. The exhibition – which sees the collaboration of critics and curators of the caliber of Marco Senaldi, Francesco Cataluccio and Lorenzo Madaro – will be accompanied throughout its duration by various appointments and “games” in which the public will also be able to participate. The four chessboards will in fact be made available to visitors who, upon reservation, will be able to “challenge” each other on Tuesdays (from 12:30 to 14:30) and on Thursday before the scheduled talks. Even the artist will be open to challenges, transforming the exhibition project into a performance.
[Immagine in apertura: Massimo
Kaufmann, Le regole del gioco, 2020-21. Photo Fulvio
Lacitignola]
