Monia Mercadante

Subject actractor

Alessandro Pitrè
critico d’arte , si occupa delle Politiche Culturali del Comune di Pesaro

“… A deep principle makes everythingunited:  in this time it is called Rità, an untranslatable word related
to the Latin ritus.
[…] in the classic India the name of dharma […] “.
[G. Boccali ‘09]

The mechanism of perception wanted by Mercadante’s work, I say of attention, to developments of Setting and Method here carefully updated (see U. Eco, Lector in fibula, 1983), we notice a setting trace we could even say of pre-existences (meaningful and historicided ) that Monia makes hers.

Furthermore, I have to notice as the potential coldness ( it is not hers absolutely) of the pictorial-graphic conjugation manage to be overcome through the subject’s sensibility (see Donna in vasca da bagno) that are able to be emotional bridge, more than medium, between author and us- the public. “Technical-emotional baggage”, that Mercadante does not say, but she makes evocation painting.
In front of Monia’s painting, it makes evident as the knowing of paint is Art (not only a “good picture”).
So the language (meta-lauguage), that beyond the subject, says of itself and of the knowing.
Moving away from the disciplinary given, I would like to remember some passages of a recent publication about the philosophical  couple (already discussed in the Einaudi Enciclopedia) “One- Many”, from Giuliano Boccali (2009) : “ The “dharma of the real”, in chapter I “ At the beginning was the myth”. This is what one of the Rivenda hymns declaim, evoking the sacrifice of Purusha, the primordial giant (X, 90) (…..) XIII century ac (…) 14- “ The atmosphere was created from his navel; from his head he produced the heaven, from feet the earth; from ears the cardinal points. In this way Gods created the world (see Raccolta Inni Sacri Indiani Riveda, 2000).
Moreover, collecting the Mercadante ideas, the theoretical discuss (and I say disciplinary) of Omar Calabrese  results central and in some way noticed (cfr Semiologia della pittura), as the mathematical  Renè Thorn, in Theory of catastrophes, who aims to the clarification of the resolution of some conflicts between attractors and it is based on a position reports of space and time.
The compositive practice, here as the emanation of his development, goes on spatially.

“…every concept on the threshold of crisis and imbalance, emitting paradoxes and contradictions, through vertigo and ghosts….to harbor of empty spaces’ abstinence, of their sobriety, as new places, completely perceptible….” ( R. Thom).
Definitely, wanted by the word thing, in this work, limits (here of painting of the background) are routes which start from an hypothetical centre (or, always in a linguistic-conceptual cross-reference, in the linguistic sphere of Luce Irigaray (’96).
As if the common territorial origin between the author and her referential master G. Gerardi would find identity in the commune (even if with different modality-typology) in an occasional projection of pictorial encoding on defined and carried out supports. Nevertheless, that, keeping the selected supports, the nature and the primal will of progress.

Doors  (see G. Gerardi) or the photocopy (M. Mercadante Atmosfere cittadine) are not covered (hidden) by painting. Used and as a choice and respect of saying the pre-existence which in this way belong to the author.

Touching the theme of “Parts connection” even signed in their borders, as the common territorial origin between M. Mercadante and the master G. Gerardi, I would reach to report some short abstracts of a comprehensive and articulated writing of Luciano Caramel about the master G. Gerardi not as a form of “appropriation” (pillage or not), but as a general reflection ideas and oriented to the request in observing the methodology as a will and (itself) as poetics. I made some cuts to the text published by Electa not to fold the sense to the presented arguments but to concentrate the comparison on the proposed themes:

“(…)symbols (…), which tie tactically  and syntactically, with letters, numbers and illustrations semantically more determined (…). But maybe here it is the Apulian roots where the oriental spectrum spread and ruled for a long time leaving trace anything but ephemeral (…).” (L. Caramel).
So I would propose some abstracts of a precedent elaboration because they are pertaining to the Mercadante’s work:
“As regard this methodology of meaning I would recall…the Nietsche fragments (without thinking to the extendibility of hypothesis about the post modern of J.F. Lyotard which update past icon, until they become possible fragments of the human (…). The possible extension even of the “Rizoma” of Deleuze and Guattari…different fragments of itself (..).”

“ The man experience in the world of fragmentation, which is the world of mass culture, a “ decline ontology”, that is a conception of being which gives up to attribute all those strong characteristics (the perfect and full presence that Aristotele attributes to God) and that instead it recognizes it – carrying on the Heidegger lesson- more linked to the time, life and rhythm of birth and death” (G. Vattimo ’88) (…).

The efficiency of subjects, which acts through significant projection, puts on the centre of making, to reach a community of matters and languages, for homology of approach and for common methodological applications….(…).
And so on:
Milindapanha is a Zen story that I find extremely pertaining to what I discuss hitherto (and from Mercadante, with her painting) :
“King Milinda came close to the venerable Nagasena. Coming close he talked to him with kind words; after (…), he sat down. The venerable Nagasena returned his favours and King Milinda rejoiced. So he said to the venerable Nagasena “Venerable, what is your name?” “Sire, I am Nagasena. Brothers call me Nagasena. Every name parents give to their sons –Nagasena, Surasena, Virasena or Sihasena- it is just an appellation, a common notion, an appointment, a current use. Nagasena is just a name because no one (puggala) is present here”. So King Milinda said “Deh, listen to me 500 hundreds venerable Greeks (yanaka) and 80000 thousand monks! (…). If you say my brothers, Sire, call me Nagasena, “what does Nagasena mean? Oh Venerable does Nagasena mean hair?” “No, Sire” “Does it mean feet maybe?” “No, Sire”.

Then we read in Vittorio Marchi (’06) and, about the perceptive results of Mercadante’s work and I try to make a connection:
“ (…) through science and knowledge (…) science astronauts of west world and <mentalnauts> of knowledge of oriental world. (…) last discoveries of quantum physics (…).
Fausto Intilla adds (scientific revealer) : “ (…) it does not handle to choice and to share, but to harmonize. «Everything is one. You are the world» so the wises say. Well even the physic principle of absolute symmetry asserts it (….) we are that world (…)” and we connect, with Mercadante, to the Purusha sacrifice (Boccali ’09).

Between chiaroscuro areas and the subjects, perceptively ones (crf Vino in morte e il procedere dell’attrattore cromatico), readable for the perceptive trend to “fulfillment” (Titcher) and from the title which declares that unity.