FalseFriend 2015-ongoing

FalseFriend and Fake History are two series of works that belong to a single public art project that takes concrete form in the attachment of commemorative plaques that tell an invented (but plausible) story of a recent cultural figure. The works do not present themselves as images, but use storytelling to prompt viewers to create their own mental image of the narrated events. The ironic tone of the texts engraved in marble is the only hint of the ambiguous nature of the works in fact neither a caption nor the name of the artist accompany the works.
The description of something that never happened thus becomes a method of analysis of reality.
The project is constantly evolving and involves permanent and temporary installations in Parco Nord Milan, Munich, Trento, Carrara, Edolo and inside exhibition spaces as cantinamontone in Montoro and Casa Testori in Novate Milanese.

 

Tra queste case, nel 1915, Umberto Boccioni registrò con un fonografo il rumore degli aerei e altri suoni di guerra

Francesco Fossati, FalseFriend [Umberto], 2016, long-term installation in Edolo IT, Botticino Marble Plaque, 80 x 50 x 2 cm, courtesy Casa Testori, Novate Milanese, Municipality of Edolo and the artist.

Between these houses, in 1915, Umberto Boccioni recorded with a phonograph the aircraft noise and other war sounds

Tra queste case, nel 1915, Umberto Boccioni registrò con un fonografo il rumore degli aerei e altri suoni di guerra

Francesco Fossati, FalseFriend [Umberto], 2016, long-term installation in Edolo IT, Botticino Marble Plaque, 80 x 50 x 2 cm, courtesy Casa Testori, Novate Milanese, Municipality of Edolo and the artist.

qui, la notte del 6 dicembre 1973 Joseph Beuys ebbe un incontro ravvicinato con un lupo

Francesco Fossati, FalseFriend [Joseph], 2017, long-term istallation in Trento IT, Verdello marble plaque, 55 x 35 x 3 cm, Ph: Consuelo Ferrari – Archivio MUSE / LIFE WolfAlps, courtesy: MUSE trento, Mart Rovereto and Palazzo Strozzi Florence.

Here,during the night of the 6th of december 1973 Joseph Beuys had a close encounter with a wolf

Der künstler Martin Kippenberger hat 1992 das projekt “metro-net.” in dieser toilette erdacht

Francesco Fossati, FalseFriend [Martin], 2016, Munich, temporary installation, Carara marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm

In 1992, in this toilette, Martin Kippenberger conceived the project "metro-net."

FalseFriend [Martin], Munich

Francesco Fossati, FalseFriend [Martin], 2016, installation view at Das KloHäuschen, Munich, temporary installation, Carara marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm

This is the house where in 1969 Federico Fellini spent the most overwelming night of passion of his life

FalseFriend [Federico], 2015, Carrara Marble Plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm

FalseFriend [Diego], 2015, installation view at CantinaMontone, Montoro IT, Carrara marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm

FalseFriend [Diego], 2015, installation view at CantinaMontone, Montoro IT, Carrara marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm