On the eve of its 10th anniversary, Sant'Andrea de Scaphis - Gavin Brown's Roman art space - hosts a singular exhibition that proposes an unprecedented dialogue between Jannis Kounellis and Richard Prince.
Opening on Easter and on view until July 25, 2025, the exhibition features two works: Untitled (Muro d'Oro) (1986) by Jannis Kounellis and Deposition (2025) by Richard Prince.
Untitled (Muro d'Oro) is an installation composed of three elements: gold leaf, jute sacks and a hat & coat. On the gold wall, the hat and coat are hung, left behind and alluding to a man who has departed. The jute wall is bordered by metal I-beams at its sides and across the top, forming a heavy frame above the monumental heap of sacks. The gold leaf, applied directly on the rough walls of the deconsecrated church, brings to mind early Renaissance frescoes, Byzantine icons, Vienna's secession, and is a symbolic journey through art history. Gold, originating from the first moments of the universe’s history, represents a profound reflection on man’s relationship with the material world.
Deposition is a new and previously unseen work. At almost seven hours, the video is of Prince's deposition from the trial, where the artist was sued by various Instagram users for copyright infringement. It is essentially an objet trouvé. A court document. A byproduct of the American civil court system, casually thrown off and ordinarily destined for the bureaucratic landfill. In its simplicity and restraint, the piece has extraordinary power: a continuous, frontal shot of Prince as he withstands relentless questioning from the opposing side's counsel. It is a gladiatorial duel—one side attempting to dismantle the very notion of art and so expose Richard Prince, and by extension, all other artists as frauds. And on the other hand, Prince himself, steadfastly, in his blandly heroic way, is conceding nothing, holding his position and explaining the very essence of art. What it means to be an artist, to make art, in its most distilled and fundamental sense.
These two artists and these two works are, in many ways, polar opposites. Prince is part of the postmodern world that Kounellis was suspicious of. He is known, since the 1980s, as an appropriation artist. However, it is precisely in this opposition that the tension and power in this pairing lie.
It is clear that the ‘old’ world of postmodernism is truly over. The hall of mirrors of the last 50 years has shattered. The reality of man has returned, with wars and authoritarians in power all over the world. So, in this sense, Kounellis sets the stage, as he always did. And Richard Prince, demanding his right as a human to autonomy and freedom, is Kounellis’ protagonist. The Everyman in the hat and coat. Crushed by a new overarching techno-authority.
