Lucy & Jorge Orta visit

From 2 to 5 July 2018, some meetings and site visits took place, to verify and finalise the work of the artistic duo Lucy + Jorge Orta, in the framework of “Ka art: drawing the collective map of Basilicata”, a project co-produced by the project leader ArtePollino in cooperation with the Matera Basilicata 2019 foundation. Jorge Orta and the artistic curator of the project, Katia Anguelova, participated in the site visits, together with ArtePollino members.
The Ka art project aims at increasing social involvement through the simple act of walking, in a slow and collective ‘immersion’ in natural and man-made elements that connect the Pollino National Park, where ArtePollino is based, to Matera, the 2019 European Capital of Culture.
Deep reflection arose from the numerous suggestions received by the artist during the days spent in Basilicata, through visits, landscapes and meetings. One of the days was entirely dedicated to the Pollino area, the tiny villages in the hinterland, the natural landscapes and the works made within the “ArtePollino – Another South” project.
On the 4 July, the working group moved to Matera. The artist was deeply impressed by the city; the squares and neighbourhoods attracted his attention. This work in progress was deeply inspired by the meetings with the Open Design School’s team and the Matera Basilicata 2019 foundation.
Lucy & Jorge Orta’s work is precious, delicate, never intrusive, and able to address important issues and contemporary social, environmental and humanitarian emergencies, from climate-related issues to the loss of biodiversity, from human rights to mobility. The artists’ sensitivity is in harmony with the values and topics of Matera 2019 European Capital of Culture’ application.
Orta’s work will lead to a performance which will represent – as Orta said – a contemporary work of art, through food. The performance will take place in 2019 and will bring together different elements of the community, from an everyday-life perspective – precisely the food – which little by little will unveil the constitutive elements of the contemporary artwork.