Fake History 2015

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, Casa Testori in Novate Milanese and Fondazione Francesco Fabbri in pieve di Soligo.

Francesco Fossati, Fake History [SARAMAGO], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm JOSè SARAMAGO WAS HERE IN 1985 Josè Saramago è stato qui nel 1985

Fake History [SARAMAGO], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm
JOSè SARAMAGO WAS HERE IN 1985
Josè Saramago è stato qui nel 1985

Francesco Fossati, Fake History [BUNUEL], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm IN 1930, IN THE INN LOCATED IN THIS BUILDING LUIS BUNUEL USED TO GET AMUSED DRINKING ABSINTHE Nel 1930, nella locanda che aveva sede in questo edificio Luis Bunuel si sollazzava bevendo assenzio

Fake History [BUNUEL], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm
IN 1930, IN THE INN LOCATED IN THIS BUILDING LUIS BUNUEL USED TO GET AMUSED DRINKING ABSINTHE
Nel 1930, nella locanda che aveva sede in questo edificio Luis Bunuel si sollazzava bevendo assenzio

Francesco Fossati, Fake History [KIPPENBERGER], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm IN THE CLASSROOMS OF THIS ACADEMY, IN SEPTEMBER 1992, MARTIN KIPPENBERGER PRODUCED 20 PAINTINGS IN ONE NIGHT Nelle aule di questa accademia, nel settembre del 1992, Martin Kippenberger dipinse venti quadri in una sola notte

Fake History [KIPPENBERGER], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm
IN THE CLASSROOMS OF THIS ACADEMY, IN SEPTEMBER 1992, MARTIN KIPPENBERGER PRODUCED 20 PAINTINGS IN ONE NIGHT
Nelle aule di questa accademia, nel settembre del 1992, Martin Kippenberger dipinse venti quadri in una sola notte

Francesco Fossati, Fake History [KOUNELLIS], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm IN THIS SQUARE, IN 1964, JANNIS KOUNELLIS HAS BURNED A LOCAL MARBLE PIECE TO MAKE IT BLACK In questa piazza nel 1964 Jannis Kounellis bruciò un blocco di marmo apuano per renderlo nero

Fake History [KOUNELLIS], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm
IN THIS SQUARE, IN 1964, JANNIS KOUNELLIS HAS BURNED A LOCAL MARBLE PIECE TO MAKE IT BLACK
In questa piazza nel 1964 Jannis Kounellis bruciò un blocco di marmo apuano per renderlo nero

Francesco Fossati, Fake History [MONET], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm IN SEPTEMBER 1895  CLAUDE MONET PORTRAYED THIS CHURCH AT DAWN, IN THE NOON, AT DUSK AND IN THE NIGHT Nel settembre del 1895 Claude Monet ritrasse questa chiesa all'alba, nel pomeriggio, al tramonto e durante la notte

Fake History [MONET], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm
IN SEPTEMBER 1895  CLAUDE MONET PORTRAYED THIS CHURCH AT DAWN, IN THE NOON, AT DUSK AND IN THE NIGHT
Nel settembre del 1895 Claude Monet ritrasse questa chiesa all'alba, nel pomeriggio, al tramonto e durante la notte

Francesco Fossati, Fake History [ORWELL], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm FROM THE BALCONY OF THIS HOUSE GEORGE ORWELL IMAGINED A WORLD WITHOUT TOTALITARIANISM Dal balcone di questa casa George Orwell immaginò un mondo senza totalitarismi

Fake History [ORWELL], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm
FROM THE BALCONY OF THIS HOUSE GEORGE ORWELL IMAGINED A WORLD WITHOUT TOTALITARIANISM
Dal balcone di questa casa George Orwell immaginò un mondo senza totalitarismi

Francesco Fossati, Fake History [WILDE], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm IN THE BASEMENT OF THIS HOUSE OSCAR WILDE FELL IN LOVE BUT RUN AWAY Nei sotterranei di questo edificio Oscar Wilde si innamorò e poi fuggì

Fake History [WILDE], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm
IN THE BASEMENT OF THIS HOUSE OSCAR WILDE FELL IN LOVE BUT RUN AWAY
Nei sotterranei di questo edificio Oscar Wilde si innamorò e poi fuggì

Francesco Fossati, Fake History [PASOLINI], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm INSIDE THIS CINEMA IN 1973 PIER PAOLO PASOLINI HAS WATCHED "THE GODFATHER" WITHOUT PAY THE TICKET In questo cinema nel 1973 Pier Paolo Pasolini guardò Il Padrino senza pagare il biglietto

Fake History [PASOLINI], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm
INSIDE THIS CINEMA IN 1973 PIER PAOLO PASOLINI HAS WATCHED "THE GODFATHER" WITHOUT PAY THE TICKET
In questo cinema nel 1973 Pier Paolo Pasolini guardò Il Padrino senza pagare il biglietto

Francesco Fossati, Fake History [WOJTYLA], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm IN THIS HOUSE KAROL WOJTYLA RESTED DURING THE PILGRIMAGE WHICH IN 1955 TOOK HIM FROM WARSAW TO ROME In questa casa riposò Karol Wojtyla di passaggio durante il pellegrinaggio che nel 1955 lo portò da Varsavia a Roma

Fake History [WOJTYLA], 2015, installation view, historic center of Carrara IT, Carrara Marble plaque, 80 x 50 x 3 cm
IN THIS HOUSE KAROL WOJTYLA RESTED DURING THE PILGRIMAGE WHICH IN 1955 TOOK HIM FROM WARSAW TO ROME
In questa casa riposò Karol Wojtyla di passaggio durante il pellegrinaggio che nel 1955 lo portò da Varsavia a Roma

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