GRJB
Flag Semaphores
L’opera principale consiste in una vela con la scritta abracadabra ricamata sopra. Abracadabra è la formula magica più̀ conosciuta al mondo; incisa originariamente su pietre preziose, assicurava salute e protezione dalle malattie.
Jesse Bonnell e Gabriella Rhodeen (GRJB), Flag Semaphores, 2021, Pietragalla (PZ), Basilicata. Ph. Giovanni Lancellotti
The artistic duo made up of Jesse Bonnell (Neuchâtel, 1985) and Gabriella Rhodeen (New Haven, 1989), GRJB questions the relationship between individuals, community and the environment in which they live, through videos, films, drawings, sculptures and performances. In 2012, Bonnell won the MacDowell Fellowship and has since participated in several residencies such as Rotterdamse Schouwburg in the Netherlands. His work has been featured in numerous institutions, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, The Getty Villa and the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA. Rhodeen has performed at public venues such as Human Resources Los Angeles; REDCAT, Los Angeles; HERE Arts Center, New York; and Strasnoy Theater, Moscow, Russia.
Pietragalla is a village in Basilicata with 3,992 residents in the province of Potenza, which is 23km away. The name probably derives from «Pietra Gialla» (yellow stone), in reference to the yellow tuff used to construct the local houses. It is mainly known for its palmenti, cellar-caves dug in the rock and still used today to preserve wine.