SOBRE EL TANGO ANTONIO DESANTIS
FLORENCE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS
You cannot know the TANGO
Il TANGO non lo si può conoscere.
One may feel it, or not, but one cannot explain what TANGO
Lo si sente o non lo si sente, ma non si riesce a spiegare
truly is. This is why the exhibition is entitled SOBRE EL
che cos'è il TANGO.
TANGO: we can only watch the show, enjoy the dancers,
Per questa ragione la mostra si chiama SOBRE EL TANGO:
the audience, the hall, the exhibition, the masters, the
guardiamo lo spettacolo, e cioè godiamoci i ballerini, il
bandoneon players, and perhaps try to catch a hint of its exotic perfume, but anything more than this is impossible. The TANGO requires technique, a sense of rhythm, a predisposition for dancing, but even more so, it calls for an kind of openness to harmony, an intricate dialogue
pubblico, la sala, l'esibizione, i maestri, i bandoneonisti e proviamo ad annusarne l'odore se ci riusciamo, oltre non è possibile! Il tango richiede tecnica, senso del ritmo, attitudine nel ballo, ma principalmente esige disponibilità a una sintonia, un dialogo sensibile fra i corpi che cercano
between two bodies seeking to join together to interpret
di unirsi per interpretare la musica che ascoltano.
the music that runs through them. No other traditional
Nessuna danza popolare raggiunge lo stesso livello
dance reaches the same level of emotion, communication,
di comunicazione,
energy, breathing and heartbeat.
palpitazione.
It seems that the TANGO was born in the leisure time of
Pare che il tango sia nato nel tempo libero degli operai
immigrant laborers in Buenos Aires who practiced the
immigrati a Buenos Aires che si ritrovavano a ballare solo
dance only among men – the women were still at home in
tra uomini - le donne tutte dall'altra parte dell'oceano - e
Europe – and so dispelling their fears of being forgotten.
scongiuravano così la paura di essere dimenticati.
GIOVANNI ROSSIELLO Gallery Exhibition and Curating EL Instructor
emozione, energia, respirazione e
SOBRE EL TANGO APR 5 | MAY 2, 2017 G a nzo I ntro d u ce s A p e riA r t with G a n zo p r e s e n t a a d A p e r i A r t
ANTONIO DESANTIS Florence, Italy – April 5, 2017 – Florence University of the Arts and Ganzo are ecstatic to introduce to the public Antonio Desantis’ Sobre el Tango, a unique exhibition recounting the personal and professional chronology of the photographer’s relationship to this ritualistic and intense dance form. Desantis’ gestural works not only display the sacred customs held paramount to the dance, but also his own artistic relationship and development of photography through his passion for the tango.
Si inaugura il 5 Aprile alle 18,30 la nuova mostra fotografica “Sobre el Tango” di Antonio Desantis al Ganzo di via de’ Macci 85r, il laboratorio didattico di Apicius, International School of Hospitality di FUA - Florence University of the Arts, durante l’AperiART.
His proficiency in capturing the emotionally fleeting moment experienced in all levels of the dance transcends the basic perceptual
Un percorso a passo di tango su tecnica, ritualità dei gesti, e i tanti dettagli che fanno di questo ballo uno dei più affascinanti e apprezzati nel mondo, esposti in ordine cronologico secondo la storia personale dell’artista nel suo rapporto con la danza. Una sua grande passione, infatti, è il tango argentino. Desantis è un ballerino appassionato, ed è proprio quando la macchina fotografica entra in gioco che si sente completo, mettendo insieme le due esperienze, fondendole, fino ad autodefinirsi “tango reporter”. Ed è diventato il fotografo più richiesto durante le competizioni tanghere più prestigiose, sia in Italia che all’estero, come per il Firenze Tango Festival, il Festival de Las Estrellas, a Siena, il Tango Safari ad Arezzo e il SaintVincenTango, del quale è stato fotografo ufficiale, tutti eventi a cui hanno partecipano ballerini di tango conosciuti a livello mondiale, come Pablo Veron, Mariana Montes & Sebastian Arce, Lucilla Cionci & Joe Corbata. Ha esposto in Italia con molte personali dedicate al tango, ma si dedica spesso anche all’arte del racconto attraverso la fotografia, con reportage su temi diversi dal ballo. Tra gli ultimi grandi lavori, la mostra Il ricordo della memoria, un viaggio sulle antiche sepolture, patrocinato dalla provincia di Arezzo e varie istituzioni e associazioni culturali aretine. Le opere in mostra sono state selezionate dagli
knowledge of photography to display the more meaningful experience felt by Latin-American and Tuscan tango enthusiasts.
studenti del corso di Gallery and Exhibition Curating della FUA Florence University of the Arts.
The exhibited compilation of photographs give a summary of Desantis’ transformation as an artist while showing the fluidity and conventional elements of this historical dance. Arranged purposefully in sequential order, the exhibition recounts the tango through Desantis’ personal experiences: who and what made him fall in love with the dance, the ritual as well as technical elements it holds, and lastly the intensely emotional movements which he chose to capture. Through what he calls “instinct reflecting his emotion and knowledge of the movements,” we see the harmonious dialogue created in the tango, a dance marked by its placed importance on aesthetic presentation, gestural connection, and intense intimacy. Desantis’ love of dance began long before his work in photography. It was not until moving to Tuscany, however, that he discovered his infatuation with the rhythmic movements of the tango. Upon his first introduction to the style, Desantis describes his initial sentiment to the historically Latin-American dance stating, “it would seem I’m at home here.” The true transformation began when tango met photography and his artistic style flourished into a way of intrinsically expressing himself. This has led him to be a heavily sought after dance photographer and he has been asked by dancers and competitions from all over the world to photograph the art. This unique exhibition is not only informative, but highly personal, as viewers are enlightened by Antonio Desantis’ skillful accomplishments in both photography and the tango.
This exhibit was curated by Florence University of the Arts Experiential Learning course Gallery Exhibition and Curating
SAMARA RYNECKI | GREGORY SLADE ANASTASIA KOSHIK | EMILY LAZAURUS | JAMIE NIED | DANIELLE SITZMAN | MORGAN PENNINGS | MARYKATE REGAN
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SOBRE EL TANGO
Ritual De Los Zapatos Ass. Semillita, Arezzo 2013
Haciendo Mirada Circ. Progresso, Firenze 2013
ANTONIO DESANTIS
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SOBRE EL TANGO
Ganchos Circ. Pescaiola, Arezzo 2012
Prรกctica Ass. Semillita, Arezzo 2013
ANTONIO DESANTIS
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SOBRE EL TANGO
Abrazo Milonga In.stabile, 2017
Puerta Al Tango Villa Rossi, Lucca 2016
Tratar Una Emociรณn SaintVincenTango, 2016
ANTONIO DESANTIS
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SOBRE EL TANGO
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Mujeres Firenze Tango Festival, 2016
Orquesta Firenze Tango Festival, 2016
Atracciรณn Arezzo Tango Festival, 2015
Bandoneon SaintVincenTango, 2016
ANTONIO DESANTIS
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SOBRE EL TANGO
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Pasiรณn Saintvincentango, 2016
Hermanรณs Villa Rossi, Lucca 2016
Color Firenze Tango Festival, 2016
Violin SaintVincenTango, 2015
ANTONIO DESANTIS
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SOBRE EL TANGO
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Flores Firenze Tango Festival, 2016
Técnica Firenze Tango Festival, 2016
Milonga Salon Caldin, Firenze 2016
EnergĂa Tango Safari, 2016
ANTONIO DESANTIS
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SOBRE EL TANGO
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El Mar Bailando Firenze Tango Festival, 2016
Antigua Elegancia Hotel Etrusco, Arezzo 2012
Amor SaintVincenTango, 2015
Resto Firenze Tango Festival, 2016
ANTONIO DESANTIS
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SOBRE EL TANGO
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Jugando Milonga La Boca-Buenos Aires, 2010
Intensidad Milonga Ideal, Firenze 2014
Desantis, known in the art world as Nio Des, was born in Zurich on May 12, 1963. He worked in interior decoration, computers, and telephone installations, but always kept up the hobby of photography, which slowly became his main activity. He has learned from Aurelio Patella, master of the reportage, and from Massimo Carletti, photographer of Florentine events, who taught him how to photograph dance. He has lived in Puglia, Rome, Florence, Pistoia, and Prato. He now resides in Arezzo, where he has lived since 2012.
ANTONIO DESANTIS
BIOGRAPHY BIOGRAFIA
Nato a Zurigo il 12 maggio 1963, Desantis, in arte Nio Des, nella sua vita si è occupato di decorazioni d'interni, di informatica, di impiantistica telefonica, ma ha sempre mantenuto l'hobby della fotografia, che lentamente è diventata la sua attività principale. Appresi i segreti del mestiere da Aurelio Patella, maestro dei reportage, Gino Cianci, che gli insegna a riprendere il paesaggio e Massimo Carletti, fotografo degli eventi fiorentini, per gli spettacoli e i balletti, ha iniziato a specializzarsi nella danza. Ha vissuto in Puglia, a Roma, Firenze, Pistoia e Prato. Dal 2012 vive ad Arezzo.
SOBRE EL TANGO
SOBRE EL TANGO ANTONIO DESANTIS
APR
5 | MAY 2, 2017
GANZO Via dei Macci 85/r Firenze
MORGAN PENNINGS MARYKATE REGAN Special Project: Experiential Learning in Gallery Curating
JAMIE NIED DANIELLE SITZMAN Gallery Exhibition and Curating Students
ANASTASIA KOSHIK EMILY LAZAURUS SAMARA RYNECKI GREGORY SLADE Gallery Exhibition and Curating EL Students
GIOVANNI ROSSIELLO Gallery Exhibition and Curating Instructor Printed April 2017 by FUA Florence University of the Arts
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS RINGRAZIAMENTI
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GANZO Via dei Macci 85/r Firenze ganzoflorence.com
FLORENCE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS