The Sistine Chaple Revisited. Michelangelo versus Marina Abramović showcases and counter-positions heritage artworks and monuments with contemporary art.

The preliminary beginnings were new notes about Michelangelo Buonarotti in relation to Marina Abramović alabaster sculpture work series Seven Deaths, photographed in October 2021 at Lisson Gallery, London, United Kingdom, who are the gallery representation of the artist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The research on the Sistine Chaple Revisited is the second book on the Sistine Chaple in relation to contemporary Art after publishing The Sistine Chaple. Michelangelo bersus Jeremy Deller, 2013-2017 published in 2017 in the book series AØH Art Consultancy Haberz in a limited edition of 10 copies, numbered and with personal inscription.

Since 2021 the research on the Sistine Chaple has intensified once again and the first artist counterpositioned is Marina Abramović, solely with her above named sculpture series and furthermore contemporaries of Michelangelo like Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci amongst others.

Contemporary artists will include Olafur Elliasson, whose work is strongly related to Iceland’s nature, which this year in a short trip to Iceland documented the Fagradasfjall Vulcano in the midst of eruption bringing additional insight in a five hour hike into lands, that were unknown for me as a City only Walker so far even though used to 300 km walking in a month time it was a tough trail but once in a lifetime experience to see the magma coming from the centre of the earth spreeing out into the air. When photographing I held my breath and started to breath in when the lava was going down and breathed out when it flew into the air. Otherwise I would not have been able to calculate the eruption pace of the vulcano.

Clearly related to Olafur Eliasson’s work Waterfall, 2019 shown  at Tate Modern, London and previously developed for a New York Commission at Hudson River are Icelandic waterfalls. The vulcano eruptions of Fagradsfjall in August 2022 however, can so far not yet been seen in Elliasson’s oeuvre, from my point of view, besides from his choice of colours and light therefore, further research is necessary into this side of his work.

Franz Josef Haas is an emerging Austrian artist planned to be exhibited in the framework of Visiting Schlossberg Mountain 2022 showcasing his work series Prime Numbers, 2022 which visualise mathematical equations, only using prime numbers as a base for equations created by Haas.

Further artists include Cornelia Parker, whom I saw at Serpentine Gallery, London in the late 90s and just recently documented her new work at Tate Britain, London whilst my first research period at British Library in July 2022.The floating parts of her sculpture are related to her work from the 1990s but orchestrated fantastically at Tate Britain with the perfect lighting to spread the suspended wooden parts towards the wall as shadows.

Her work series of flattly walzed silverwear has reached another dimension as well in this recent display, which allows for visitors to walk around this one space, fully encompassing sculpture suspended from the ceiling and lit to throw the shadows onto the floor in a slightly distorted manner,  to allow for a surreal mise-en scène involving the visitor in Foucault’s sense of inhabiting and shaping space.

In a recent book I studied at the County of Styria Library the Julius Grave by Michelangelo was referenced with Foucault’s determination of space and as  having written and further developed Foucault’s On Heterotopia I could relate to the writer’s aspect and add my approach in the further notes for my book and further group exhibition The Sistine Chaple Revisited. Michelangelo versus Marina Abramović planned  for May 2023 in the framework of Visiting Schlossberg  Mountain 2023.

As in June 2022 a trip to the Vatican City located Sistine Chaple has been taken, upon seeing the described works and monuments from book research and thereby made preliminary written notes for the book have been necessary to be revised, so far there is no publishing in October 2022 as previously scheduled, in order to further research on original documents like started in July 2022 in London, after being admitted to the manuscript reading room at the British Library, London to transcribe and translate Michelangelo’s original manuscripts in Renaissance Italian language.

To learn how to read and transcribe Michelangelo’s handwriting in this today dead language took up to four to five months studying his handwriting and transcribing and translating thereinafter, with the help of an Italian Dictionary by now successfully in outcome.

Accomplished so far were transcriptions and translations of five letters between one third and two A4 pages in length with kind permission by the British Library, London, United Kingdom, as well as deciphering the date of the letter, by means of a previously created time-line, which has been revised again after the first research period and added to, in order to allocate the exact date by means of the background biographical and work-related data accumulated beforehand.

As the letters were restricted material photographs were not permitted but I can say that my transcription as well as translations will be accessible in the book in their entirety.

The next step is waiting for permission to photograph the Sistine Chaple by the Musei Vaticani in Vatican City, Italy, upon their request to read my initial notes, in order to take a decision as well hear the decision for my request to become part of the Edizione Musei Vaticani.

To await the result of my application to the Sopraintendenza Archiologica in Toscana with regards to access to the original letters located at the Casa Buonarroti Archives as well as photograph the selected and discussed works in Florence & Rome, Italy and London, United Kingdom.

Furthermore, I look forward to the results of my funding application to the European Union in September 2022 and the participation approval by my chosen collaboration partners in this research endeavour.

The main goal is to shed new light on Michelangelo and his contemporaries as well as allocating the manuscripts date-wise to increase value of the collections evaluated. In addition raise the value of contemporary art by means of recommendation of the discussed artists and raising their provenance by means of the exhibition of the same title curated by Daniela Haberz, M.A. in Graz, Austria and London, United Kingdom as well as Vatican City, Rome, Italy.

Last but not least  heritage protected monuments will be shed new light upon to raise the finances needed to preserve them for posterity.

The Sistine Chaple Revisited. Michelangelo versus Marina Abramović is published in the art book series AØH Limited Edition Art Book 2022/2023 in a limited edition of 60 copies each, numbered by hand and with personal inscription in English, German and Italian language and is the seventh book in this series.

Looking forward to the results and wish me good luck for a successful outcome,

Daniela Haberz, M.A.

Wealth Adviser for Art & Art Investment & Curator and Author of the exhibition and limited edition art book

AØH Art Consultancy Haberz Limited (by Guarantee), London, United Kingdom

Wealth Management limited to the assessment in moveable assets within Art & Art Investment

Credit Images:  © Daniela Haberz, M.A. for AØH Art Consultancy Haberz Limited (by Guarantee), London, United Kingdom & Graz, Austria 2022 

All rights reserved October 2021 – August 2022

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