Starting from the Museo della Figurina archive, it proposes a new way to interpret archives by accompanying Spoldi’s production and research with an art historian’s method of reading and research. Taking their cue from an analysis of the artist’s career and focusing on his particularly significant works and projects, together the curator and artist examined the museum and Spoldi’s archives to create an exposition based on the comparison between two systems: the trading card imaginary and the artist’s vision.
Spoldi’s production is highly theoretical, connecting words and images and narrative and performative language: he has always composed his works by treating the surface (whether a wooden board or a wall) as the space of action for his characters and alter egos.He draws from his personal archive to generate new works (Il vigile – The Traffic Warden) and translate his virtual characters (Angelo Bortolon, Il Mangiatore di Mondi – The World Eater – and Cristina Show...) into 3D figures. At the same time, he stages new narratives, rebooting some constants in his reflection (the layers of time, play, the economic aspect of art) so that they take on further meanings and create new worlds. The artist’s manner of action and vision are thus entangled with the many stories that can be put together with trading cards: the story of explorations, industrial innovation and work, the world of goods and the city, play, fairy tales, novels and museums, costumes and uniforms, coins and stamps. Trading cards are also narrative devices created to convey messages by being put back together in albums. Collected and traded, they generate games and competitions that go on in time. The works on display will also include the Barone Rosso GT (1992), an ironic homage to Modena, thanks to the loan from the Collezione Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro in Milan.
Le avventure di Aldo. Archives connecting times is hence what happens when artist and researchers, artist and visitors meet, and are called upon to contribute, reflect and play in the teaching workshops that will be held during the exhibition. For the exhibition, the FMAV Education Department has created a special family kit for families and children (aged 4 and over) called We don’t work here, we play!, designed to make the visit to Le avventure di Aldo fun and creative. Borrowing the motto created by Spoldi for his new Fondazione Aldo installation, the kit includes a little colouring book with original drawings by the artist and a set of activities to observe, discover, play, and share the exhibition experience with the whole family.The family kit is designed for the families to use on their own as they visit the exhibition. A paper version will be available at the ticket office as well as a digital version online.
