Appointment with a character who in 1993 decided to start a new story and starting from Sarnico (BG) began to travel. His goal was to search for new artists on the world scene who with their art were able to arouse something different and who knew how to work using different techniques and tools: painting, sculpture, photography, up to sophisticated videos and installations also with the help of sound.
We deal with First Marella, present in Italy with the prestigious Marella Gallery space in Milan and since 2005 also in Beijing with the Marella Gallery Beijing space. We interviewed him a few hours after his return after a long journey in some regions of South-East Asia.
FIRSTonline – Yours is a long story, but above all a special story linked to scouting, first towards European and then Asian artists, even before we spoke of Chinese art, she tells us what had "inspired" her and convinced that this was a right way to go?
Marella – I began to follow contemporary art while I was in high school, and to collect my first works of art while at university'. Along with treatises on Macroeconomics, books on Statistics and Law, I read and studied art books, with particular attention to the contemporary. I attended exhibitions, museums, biennials and fairs of the time, and when I could, helped by my family, I bought some operettas. I decided to open a gallery because I believed that the offer of contemporary art in Italy was incomplete and linked to the commercial logic of the gallery owners and merchants of the time, I'm talking about the eighties, early nineties. Therefore, partial. In years of great turmoil, with the growth of artistic poles such as New York, Berlin, London, little of this turmoil was seen in our galleries, and gallery owners were not used to organizing a gallery with qualified personnel, to follow bureaucracies, imports, customs , various permits, to look outside Italy and to start an international programme.
FIRSTonline – When did you begin to understand that it was necessary to explore emerging countries, such as China, India, Brazil, to find new talent to offer on the international market?
Marella – We began to deal with contemporary art, looking at the new Western art capitals, starting with New York, but soon, observing the evolution of the international scene, we realized that many interesting things were happening in China. It was 1997-1998, and shortly thereafter we began to present the first works of Chinese artists, after long phases first of analysis and research, and then of contact and agreement with these artists. From there our Asian adventure was triggered, which led us to investigate China far and wide, bringing a large part of the artists to Italy who then became their most important and representative artists. In 2004 we finally opened our Beijing gallery, which was the first European gallery to open in China, reinforcing our international programme. With a strong desire to research, understand and study the new phenomena that were affecting contemporary art, we began to follow some Indian, Korean and even Brazilian artists. Towards 2007 we moved more and more towards Indonesia, the Philippines and Africa. At the moment we are monitoring art in many emerging countries, in particular in Asia, such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar.
FIRSTonline – I remember that names of Chinese artists passed through you, then little known with a cost for a work that did not exceed ten thousand euros and which we then saw pass through international auction houses, by the hundreds if not a few million dollars, can you give us some names?
Marella – We have presented many artists in Italy, even for much less than ten thousand euros, who have subsequently had considerable revaluation in the international auctions of Christie's and Sotheby's. Among them Zang Xiaogang, Liu Ye, Zhang Fanzi, Yue Minjun, Li Songsong, Liu Wei, Chen Ke , Feng Zhengjie, Wang Xigwei , Yang Fudong, Zhou Thieai and many others for China; Subodth Gupta, Barthi Ker, Tukral and Tagra, A.Balasubramanian, Ravinder Reddy, Reena Kallath, for India; Agus Suwage, Handivirnam Saputra, Rudi Mantofani, Entang Whiarso, Jumaldi Alfi, for Indonesia; Ronald Ventura, Nona Garcia, Annie Gabigting, Yasmin Sison, for the Philippines; NGO woman for Singapore; Natee Utarit for Thailand, AUNG KO for Myanmar, Sopeaph Pich for Cambodia, Os Gemeos for Brazil, A.Konate for Mali.
FIRSTonline – Today you are very busy in Southeast Asia, can you tell us something?
Marella – It is an area in strong turmoil, with so much energy pouring into contemporary art. I think it's the most interesting and buzzing area, with Indonesia in the lead. Even the Guggenheim in New York has just opened an exhibition on this region.
FIRSTonline – Today, in this particular period of crisis, you still continue your attitude with great enthusiasm, what is it that inspires you to continue, let's even say to fight despite the fatigue and enormous difficulties of the moment?
Marella – The beauty of the work I do, a top-level staff who are tuned like me to this job, the sense of challenge and the search for new realities, with eyes that see what others don't want or find it hard to see and to understand.
FIRSTonline – The situation of the art market in Italy is known to be in difficulty and that everything is now "expressed" on an international level, what do you think could be done to restore some order and confidence for those who collect and invest in art?
Marella – The mentality that is taking root in this moment of crisis must be changed, i.e. that whoever buys art is a criminal, or a wealthy person who has made his money by damaging someone else, or who is a tax evader, and who therefore it can afford to buy art while others struggle to get by. And the income meter is there ready to verify the activity of these people. All of this added to one of the most penalizing VATs in the world is wiping out the contemporary art sector, without anyone doing anything. Only those galleries, a few, that have a following and international clients will survive. And many galleries, and the best artists, will leave Italy.
