Fashion is an Art Form - Interview with Raffaele Quattrone (Part II)

Raffaele Quattrone is a sociologist and curator of contemporary art. To record the episodes of a documentary* that will deal with international contemporary art and that will involve the most important Italian and non-Italian artists in the current panorama, he chose to wear the clothes designed by lirecento because they are capable of representing the made in Italy and the rule that distinguishes this latter concept, the “made with care”.

Art and fashion have always had a strong bond, the boundaries that define one and the other environment allow continuous exchanges, inspirations, contaminations. But is fashion an artistic expression?

Fashion is the way we decide to show ourselves to others, it is the skin we choose to put on: it tells the story of the time and the society we live in, the needs of people, just like all other artistic forms.
When it comes to art, fashion and other expressions of taste, we Italians are born with an edge because we are surrounded by beauty . No one teaches us the principles of aesthetics as children and yet we naturally know what is beautiful and what is not.
Another thing that fashion and art have in common is that they must constantly fight against a common preconception: we think we can do without both, but in reality they are nothing more than a product of human culture , just like economics and politics, to which, however, we give more importance.

Let's go back to the concept dear to Raffaele Quattrone of the extreme need for art, beauty, aesthetics in everyday life. For him, the search for aesthetics is not a refuge in a banal world, but rather a thought-out and essential space.
“We Italians are born with an extra edge”. So how does Italy position itself in the contemporary art scene?

Art reflects the power of states : the stronger a nation is politically, the more its culture is able to be persuasive and to impose itself on others. Italians necessarily suffer from this condition of not being first in class, even though we have nothing to envy in terms of merit and talent to international artists, works and institutions. What we should envy, in order to change it, is the cultural approach. I lived and studied in London for a certain period of years . There, as in other large European cities, there is the will to work together, in the same direction, attracting a large audience of all social classes, creating and staging art within everyone's reach. We must make an effort and train our senses to unite and distinguish ourselves, to restore our importance . Why, as regularly happens, does an Italian go to Paris, London or New York to buy a work that he could have found in an Italian gallery?

What would you suggest to a young person who wants to start working in the world of contemporary art?

Art, like fashion, is a language. The necessary condition to dialogue with the protagonists of these worlds is to know their vocabulary, rules, registers. Solid cultural foundations and continuously updated training are essential.
The other aspect to cultivate is consistency : you must not give up in the face of criticism because there is always a lot of it, but welcome it and overcome it, without ever scratching your identity and your idea of art. Obviously there is room for enthusiasm and passion , but if there is no deep preparation at the base, the duration of the journey is already written.

* The project involves some of the most important international artists such as Shirin Neshat, Jeff Koons, Vanessa Beecroft, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Mona Hatoum.