“Magnete is a format curated by Gaia Bobò dedicated to publishing, with which City Lab 971 opens its spaces to emerging or established publishers, research groups, magazines and periodicals. In a centrifugal perspective, starting from Rome and opening up to projects on a national and international scale, the project aims to magnetize the potential of these organisms by supporting their crucial role in the cultural fabric they belong to, offering a space for experimentation in the former paper mill in Rome. The first edition of this exhibition format is dedicated to Nodes – Journal of Art and Neuroscience.” [from the press release]

On the occasion of Magnete #1, Numero Cromatico presents the latest edition of Nodes, issue 13-14, along with È per te il nostro boato (2018), a work pertaining to a project that appropriates verbal codes and signifiers belonging to specific contexts – such as in this case the stadium banner – hijacking them through the use of poetic language.

È per te il nostro boato comes in the shape of a large-scale PVC stadium banner, 1,9 metre high and 60 metres long, bearing a verse made up of two sentences usually pronounced by sport supporters: “È per te il nostro boato / al di là del risultato” [For you is our roar / no matter the outcome]. 

Although coming from the popular world, the verse takes up a brand new position within the art context. It is a statement providing the public with several possibilities for interpretation. Owing to its big size, the banner makes for a scenic space – one to be explored and experienced by the spectator. 

The artwork is part of the New-tze-bao series (2018–ongoing).

The project aims to bring together popular culture and the artistic contemporary culture. It does so along two trajectories: by introducing common sayings, clichés, and statements coming from popular culture, through the artistic device, into the art context and museum environment, and by placing all of the above, including the many artistic manifestos, in the popular context. 

Such an operation comes into being by employing different media among which are banners, scarves, flags, wall paintings, tazebao, editorial projects, etc. These are charged with diverse contents varying in terms of places and modalities in which they are presented, so as to increase the degree of ambiguity and the possibilities for interpretation by the public.