CANEMORTO
The Painting Race
The exhibition The Painting Race by the anonymous Italian art trio CANEMORTO at the Match Gallery represents the final part of a series on the plurality of approaches, techniques, and positions in painting as a medium. It is conceived as a playful futuristic presentation of the art world as a system in which artists and their works constantly compete for attention, recognition, and market opportunities.
The group CANEMORTO formed in 2007 within an underground context and adopted strategies of Dadaist provocation and surrealist absurdity, translating them into a hybrid practice that moves between painting, sculpture, video, and performance. They open up the exhibition space as a field of intervention, often targeting points of institutional critique or social discomfort. This position aligns with the programme of the Match Gallery, where challenging is one of the programme lines, as indicated in the gallery's name.
The exhibition refers to the first edition of The Painting Race, which took place in the Alchemilla – Palazzo Vizzani space in Bologna in 2024. There, CANEMORTO confronted the art system of the Arte Fiera with the mythology of speed and prestige embodied by the Ferrari brand and the associated Formula 1 Grand Prix in nearby Imola. This intentional, somewhat blasphemous symbiosis reveals the similarities between the art market and the spectacle economy. A clear allusion to, or parody of, the competitive spirit within the art world is also evident. Therefore, make sure you don't miss The Painting Race for the Ljubljana Grand Prix!
The installation at the Match Gallery consists of four remotely controlled paintings in various styles and motifs (landscape, Post-Expressionism, Magical Realism and Neo-Abstractionism), which equipped with wheels and engines race along a track laid out throughout the space, creating a dynamic, competitive atmosphere and a performative experience. A series of drawings related to the world of motor racing are exhibited on the gallery walls. Visitors are invited to interact with the paintings on wheels and organise improvised races, either alone or in groups. CANEMORTO members serve as pit stop mechanics, supervising the race.
With remote controls in their hands and consumed by their desire to dominate, the racers are focus solely on the track and the position of the racing painting, the style and motif of which determine team affiliation, and are oblivious to the world around them. The fans, on the other hand, follow the progress of the race, feeling a sense of belonging to their team and experiencing mutual competitiveness. The important thing is not only to participate in the game, but to win it, and foul play is allowed.
Colophon
Artist trio: CANEMORTO
Curators: Antonio Grulli, Jani Pirnat
Project coordinators: Arianna Bona, Claudia Allamano
Technical realisation: O.K.vir, Technical Service MGML
Technical support: Giovanni Volpe
Public relations and editing: Maja Čehovin Korsika
Design: Jaka Šuln
Translation and editing (EN): Urban Belina
This project is supported by the Italian Council program (2025) promoted by the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Italian Ministry of Culture, aimed at the international promotion of Italian contemporary art. It is a collaboration with the producers Citta di Torino, Fondazione Torino Musei and Luci d'Artista and partners Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE), Lighting Guerrilla (Strip Core / Forum Ljubljana), City of Ljubljana, Ministry of culture RS, with special thanks to Camilla Sanguinetti and Alchemilla.
Location
Trg francoske revolucije 7
1000 Ljubljana
T +386 1 24 12 590
T +386 1 24 12 500
E galerija.vzigalica@mgml.si
Opening hours
Tuesday–Sunday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Monday: Closed
1 January, 1 November, 25 December: Closed
24 and 31 December: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Tickets
Free entry.
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