English
At the Villa Medici until the 20th March is exhibition Europunk, organised by the Academy of France in Rome, and centered around the visual element of the punk movement of 1976-80. Punk represented the atmosphere of irreverance at the end of the 1970s, after severe economic crisis had given rise to a boom in artistic expression.
The exhibition revisits the socio-political roots of the era, and how they affected the development of punk countercultures, through a collection of 500 pieces, including clothes, fanzines, posters, flyers, paintings, collages, CD covers and videos.
Europunk opens with the Sex Pistols during their first TV appearance (1976), on the “So it goes” show – the moment which is considered the birth of the punk movement – and ends with Joy Division at the BBC in 1979, passing through New Wave along the way.
One of the pieces on show is the infamous poster of Queen Elizabeth II – her eyes and mouth covered with the slogan “God save the Queen,” a British flag in the background – a true subversion of British tradition and authority. Also included is the publicity poster for Sex Pistols release “Anarchy in the UK,” designed by artist Jamie Reid, and a true emblem of punk.
Alongside all this will be a selection of clothes designed by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, as well as posters designed by Jon Savage for Joy Division and The Pop Group gigs.
Though the exhibition starts with the United Kingdom, it traces the punk movement’s journey out to other European countries such as France, Germany, Sweden, Italy and Holland. We also learn about the influence of punk on the comic book scene – a group of students at Paris’ Fine Arts Academy formed Bazooka, which broke away from the traditionally violent and sexually explicit aesthetic of comic books, making more a politcal statement.
De Chassey, who commisioned the exhibition, points out that punk culture “represented the desire of a generation to break ties with the past,” which would explain the aesthetic independent from previous movements and trends, and their rejection of art as a means of expression. Punk´s stamp on society is clear – it has left an indelible mark on comics, graffiti, music, and commercial media has profited considerably from its iconography.
More information: http://www.villamedici.it/it/home/
Nancy Guzman
Europunk is unmissable for anybody traveling to Rome who wants to see some history, political art – so if you come to this wonderful city, don´t forget to visit Villa Medici. Get lost in your thoughts, and then go back to your apartments in Rome and relax…
Translated by: Poppy
