“I have the idea of doing an exhibition on a theme I’ve been working on for years. It’s called Flags (literally “flags”), even if by this term I mean different alternative visual languages, the power of color, of the symbol. The first tricolor flag in history is the French one, so simple that anyone could easily recreate it. What interests me is this power that comes from simple shapes and essential colors. Most of the flags in my project do not represent nations, they are simple compositions in which shapes and colors can communicate a concept, and I wonder about the power of color in relation to how meanings will change in the future. For example, we inherited blue as a royal color from the French (just think of the blue cars of politicians) because blue was a rare color, therefore precious. I wonder if in a few centuries we will be confronted with a different color linked to royalty, maybe it will be the green linked to nature that has cost us so much to safeguard.
I really like working on patterns, on the repetition of a symbol that emphasizes its power. It is something we experience in every day life, when we buy a dress with stripes, for example, we are declaring our preference for a certain pattern, a world that defines us towards others.
The symbolic work of this research is a hypothetical European flag made up of many colored rectangles, the measures are based on the demographic data of the countries of the European Union. This project is unfinished because I have not yet found a right opportunity to show it to the public. I’d like to exhibit these works, but it’s an enormous task: finding a suitable place, curating the show, taking care of the relationship with the public..I would need some help.” Piera Luisolo
