Process Collettivo to talk about prison and collaboration
Mark Bradford is the representative for the United States at la Biennale di Venezia 57th International Art Exhibition.
In conjunction with the U.S. Pavillion exhibition, Bradford embarked on a six year collaboration titled “Process Collettivo” with our social cooperative that aims to launch a sustainable long-term program that raises awareness of both the penal system and the success of the social cooperative model. A storefront located in the heart of Venice is the initial manifestatione of the collaboration, which openedto the public in April 2017.
“Mark’s approach to the U.S. pavillion project – encompassing both his exhibition and Process Collettivo- exemplifies his distinctly material approach to contending with social issues, particularly those impacting the margins of the society” said Bedford, BMA director and former director of the Rose Art Museum.
Mark Bradford: art to reinvent the world
Mark Bradford was born in 1961 inLos Angeles, California, where he currently lives and works. He has shown extensively in international and national exhibitions.
Bradford is known for abstract painting and collage-based works that recapture mid-century American art’s capacity to conjure the sublime and evoke deep feelings, while incorporating layers of social and personal commentary.
In parallel with his studio work, Bradford is deeply engaged with social issues: the artist’s equivalent commitments to formal intervention and social activism anchor his contribution to culture at large and embody his belief that contemporary artists can reinvent the world we share.
The U.S. pavillion exhibition Tomorrow is Another Day reflects Bradford’s interest in renewing traditions of abstract and materialist painting, as well as his longtime social and intellectual interests, most notably in marginalized populations. For the five galleries of the U.S. pavillion, Bradford created a multilayered narrative that progresses through the building’s spaces and reflects the artist’s belief in the capacity of art to expose contradictory histories and inspire action in the present day.
Selected public collections include The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; The Wolker Art Center, Minneapolis; and The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and the Hamme Museum, Los Angeles.
Photo: ©Fabio Reflex Rizzo
MARK BRADFORD COLLECTION
Limited Edition #1
In May 2017 for the opening of the Process Collettivo Shop & Resource Center and Mark Bradford’s exhibition “Tomorrow is another day” at the 57th Venice Biennale, the Bradford Collection launched with the first limited edition bag for the “Malefatte” brand. This bag was created at the external manufacturing lab in collaboration with the American artist and his team.
For this first limited edition bag, one hundred bags were created in six versions with the essential lines and geometric aspects recalling details of Bradford’s work, The next hot line (2014).
Limited Edition #2
This bag has been created to promote Art supports job training in prison, the fundraising campaign to support no profit Rio Terà dei Pensieri and its social activity.
The inspiration came from Bradford himself and in the spirit of this second edition, there is a new design with newly printed work: And so the Trojans buried Hector breaker of Horses, 2017. Rio Terà dei Pensieri entrusted the project to architect and designer Francesco Tencalla, who designed the new bag in collaboration with Giada Mambrin.