Scene di conversazione, 1982

The performance stages four male figures wearing ceremonial attire, situated in the four median points of the diagonals of a room and each of which connected to a music stand and a progressive number of photographs that each time reproduce by juxtaposition the following figures. The description of the scene for the four situations states as follows:
“1st figure: standing, in front of the music stand on which the photograph [upside down] of the second figure has been placed
2nd figure: seated, holds in both hands two photographs reproducing the juxtaposed images of the following two figures (the music stand is empty)
3rd figure: standing, seen from behind; of the three photographs (two on the reading stand, one on the floor), each is the juxtaposition of the following three figures
4th figure: on the ground as if fallen, his clothing is dishevelled (the music stand has fallen as well); the four photographs [are] scattered on the ground.
The number of photo stills next to each figure is equal to the number of overprints that comprise each of the images. Each photo still is intended as the point of view of the figure that each time precedes the subject (1=2, 2=3+4, 3=4+1+2, 4=1+2+3+4)”1.
The theme of the performance was reproduced in 1983 for a work under the same title (GPO-0498). Moreover, the title had already been used for a previous work, made in 1980 (GPO-0423).

1 Giulio Paolini, vol. Images/Index (Villeurbanne: Le Nouveau Musée, 1984), p. 108.