Thursday evening was a night filled with nervous laughter, glasses of wine, and contemporary art. It was the opening of two galleries: Galleria Lorcan O’Neill featuring work by Kiki Smith and Betty Woodman, and 1/9unosunove featuring work by Sergio Lombardo. All of the artists in the Cornell in Rome program were very excited for this evening, as this was our first gallery opening in the city.
Upon arriving at Galleria Lorcan O’Neill we all squealed. People were flooding out of the gallery space and filling the streets with thoughtful conversation and the clicking of wine glasses. Once inside we all spotted Kiki Smith which is when I began to feel my face get red. I was standing amongst Kiki Smith and her colleagues, admiring her work. Last fall, Smith gave a lecture at Cornell University discussing her piece, Pool of Tears 2 after Lewis Carroll (2000), that was exhibited in the Johnson Museum of Art that semester. This lecture, a part of the Cornell AAP Lecture Series, was an inspiration for myself and many others in the Cornell community.
We are all quite nervous knowing that Kiki Smith was at the opening, but regardless we decide that we must find the courage to introduce ourselves to her. In the time that followed we discussed and admired not only Kiki Smith’s work but also Betty Woodman. A particular favorite of mine is Guide, 2012, a Jacquard Tapestry (302 x 194 cm), in which in the image above Max Haughey and Madeline Popkin discuss the intricacies of the piece.
After our thoughtful discussion about Guide, 2012, we all make our way to the back room, which is filled with a series of pigeon drawings consisting of crayon, glitter, and gold leaf. As you can see in the image above Lauryn Smith, thinking of her introduction, patiently waits to talk to Kiki Smith. After much anticipation, Madeline breaks the ice and compliments Kiki Smith’s necklace, which gave us all the opportunity to introduce ourselves. Our conversation with Ms. Smith was short because one of her colleagues shuffled her away. Personally from the woman’s tone and her interruption I feel she was trying to save Ms. Smith from being swallowed up for the evening by eager young artists. Regardless, Kiki Smith was charming and engaged with each of us. We talked about our internships in Rome and the opportunities that the Cornell in Rome program has given us. She discussed her fascination with bees and how Cornell has an incredible bee-keeping program. Although our time with Kiki Smith was short, it was memorable; an inspiration for the rest of our time here in Rome.
The rest of the evening was spent at 1/9unosunove admiring the work of Sergio Lombardo as well as gloating about our encounter with Kiki Smith. Overall, it was a successful night. We not only had great wine but also got our first taste of the contemporary art scene in Rome!
