paolo giardi
‘why can’t i be you’
6 october - 11 november 2006
Paolo Giardi was born and grew up in Florence, Italy, and has lived and worked in London for the past 8 years. ‘Why Can’t I Be You’ is his first major UK exhibition.
Renowned for his work constructed through collage, Giardi draws from his vast catalogue of found 2D images. He juxtaposes this material to create images of familiarity spliced with the artificial. Appropriation is a discipline that he embraces, railing against the idea of the artist as the creator of all. “I think of myself more as an accountant” says Giardi “It’s more about collating and filing, then being guided by my findings.”
The inaugural exhibition at Whitecross Gallery, ‘Why Can’t I Be You’ deals with Giardi’s observation of the artist as the egoless protagonist – a view of the self, seen through the distorted eyes of a hidden persona. “My intention is to emulate the Countess de Castiglione” says Giardi. Creating furore with her bold and visually arresting outfits, the endless and obsessive vanity of the Countess was legendary in the Imperial Courts of Paris. The seductress of Napoleon III captured her schizophrenic repertoire in front of the photographer’s lens, leaving behind a legacy of images of her narcissistic wake.
Focusing on large-scale graphic images, Giardi intentionally loses his own sense of self. Alluding to advertising billboards, propaganda posters and fashion shoots, he adopts different outfits of female personae striking poses, flirting and laughing.
Seducing you, the viewer, he begs the question ‘Why Can’t I Be You?’
Showing from 5th October until 11th November at Whitecross Gallery the exhibition centres on prints developed from Giardi’s preparatory collages.
