FPT Industrial announces its commitment to art, supporting the Italian Pavilion at the 58th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia and presenting a special project by the artist Christian Holstad, which combines art and sustainability

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With the site-specific installation by Christian Holstad, Consider yourself as a guest (Cornucopia), FPT Industrial announces its commitment to support the arts. The artwork was exhibited at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice from May 9 to 11, 2019 on the banks of the Canal Grande and from May 12 to June 12 at the university courtyard. The installation is inspired by the theme of protecting the marine environment from plastic waste and during the Venice Boat show (June 18-23) is on display at the Venetian Arsenal, at the stand of FPT Industrial.

The project demonstrates not only FPT Industrial’s commitment to the art world, to which its role as the Main Sponsor of Italian Pavilion at the 58th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia is testament, but also its concrete commitment to sustainability and environmental protection, specifically of sea life, stemming from the importance marine engine production has for the Brand.

To this end, from April 2019, FPT Industrial is a partner for the European Clean Sea Life project which promotes awareness-raising activities aimed at protecting the sea from waste pollution. In 2018, the Clean Sea Life pilot initiative saw the involvement of twelve fishing boats from San Benedetto del Tronto, East coast of Italy, which, in one work day, collected 385 kg of waste from the sea, demonstrating the need to spread good practices regarding this subject. 

“These are awareness-raising projects which we believe are a ‘must’ for a Brand such as ours – says Carlo Moroni, Head of Communication of FPT Industrial – which has always invested in research, with the goal of producing cutting-edge and sustainable engines that are also environmentally friendly. The Holstad installation and the Italian Pavilion sponsorship are a way of further consolidating our commitment, to support cultural production, and to pay homage to Venice, a city which absolutely represents the influence of water on our lives”.

Invited by Milovan Farronato, Christian Holstad conceived a site-specific piece, inspired by the constant news about pollution of the seas and oceans around the world, owing to his focus on the subject of consumerism and its subsequent effect on the world.

A cornucopia, an ancient symbol of luck and abundance, made entirely with plastic waste, becomes the chance to reflect on the urgency of tackling the issue of pollution of our seas. The classical meaning of this iconic image is thus distorted by the artist, taking on a new negative sense of “excess”.

“A past neighbor had a sign on their door which read "Consider yourself a guest". I walked past it each day for years and it became an unintended mantra”, says Christian Holstad. “Our dependence on plastics is not sustainable. Its effects are swelling into continents in our waters. Consider yourself a guest (Cornucopia) is a reflection of our impact on the planet and our consumptive roles within the growing plastic mass”.

Consider yourself as a guest (Cornucopia) aims to raise public awareness in a clear and immediate way, literally “bringing to the surface” a topical problem rather than leaving it hidden in the depths of the sea.

The presentation of the work at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice confirms the ethical vocation of the project: indeed, since 2010, through the Ca' Foscari Sustainable program, the university tries to encourage actions and behaviours that reduce the university’s impact on the environment and natural resources, and to promote the well-being of the community, social equity and economic development.

Christian Holstad was born in 1972 in Anaheim, California; he currently lives and works in New York. Characterised by a unique attitude rather than a particular method, Holstad’s work includes ideas relating to the modern world; social class, culture, sexuality, and society all become the subject of his work. His personal exhibitions include: New Positions, Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York (2017); Christian Holstad, red, yellow, lime, pink, lavender, green, scarlet, lavender, scarlet, green, lavender, The Magazine Sessions 2016, Serpentine Gallery, Londra (2016); Toothpick, Massimo De Carlo, Milano (2016); The Book of Hours, Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York (2013); The World's Gone Beautiful, Daniel Reich Gallery, New York (2009-10); Christian Holstad. I Confess, Galleria Civica of Modena, Modena (2009); Gaity: Discovering the Lost Art (in Absentia), curated by Beatrix Ruf, Kunsthalle Zürich (2004) and Innocent Killers, Project Room, MoMA PS1, New York (2004). His collective exhibitions include: SI Onsite, Swiss Institute, New York (2018); Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art, Hangzhou (2013); Paper, Saatchi Gallery, Londra (2013); Aquatopia, Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham (2013); Graphite, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis (2013); The Air We Breathe, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco (2011); Coming After, The Power Plant, Toronto (2011); Compilation IV, Kunsthalle, Dusseldorf (2009); Compass in Hand: Selections from the Judith Rothschild Collection, Museum of Modern Art, New York (2009); Unmonumental (Inaugural Exhibition), New Museum, New York (2007). Furthermore, his work was displayed in 2007 at the Lyon Biennial and in 2004 at the Whitney Biennial in New York.