Giuseppe Chiari
ART IS EASY

Giuseppe Chiari created the poster ART IS EASY, embossed with “Chiari 74”, in 1990 on the occasion of the 8th Sydney Biennale The Readymade Boomerang – Certain Relationships in 20th Century Art. Since 1974, the artist, musician and composer, who works in the spirit of Fluxus, has varied this obviously ironic “motto” as lettering in different techniques and typographies on various supports – for example in mixed media on paper (1979) or ink on canvas (1982).
“Chiari’s contacts with artists from the Fluxus group encouraged him to leave the field of ‘classical’ music and concentrate on exploring gestural and concrete music. At the same time, he works visually – creating his first collages and montages – as well as verbally and conceptually. His statements and manifestos are a significant contribution to European Fluxus culture.”¹
The sentence, printed in bold capitals on a yellow background, also adorned the front cover of the catalog for the 8th Sydney Biennale, supplemented on the back by the no less ironic statement “& all music is the same”. The deliberately humorous and lapidary comments on art and music formed a framework for the concept of the Biennale, in which the visual arts were accompanied by an extensive music program. Twenty copies of the flyers were signed by the artist and included in the program of Edition Block in framed form.
Text: Eva Scharrer

¹ René Block, “Musik ist zum Spielen”, in: René Block (Hg.), MUSIK IM FRIDERICIANUM. 6. Giuseppe Chiari, exhib. cat., Kassel: Kunsthalle Fridericianum, 2001, p. 5.