The Project

Historical-Political Background

In 2016 when Italy passes the law sanctioning civil unions for same sex couples, Ruben Montini begins This Anonymity is Subversive. Inspired by a 1977 interview with Michel Foucault on the state of anonymity created by the dim lighting in gay saunas; Montini articulates a thought on the socio-political subversion of anonymity, arguing that a person works more toward the common good in a state of anonymity rather than in a state of competition. And the artist begins a journey that for seven years has taken him across all the nations of the European Union. Then, desiring both more intimacy and at the same time a broader scope, Montini turns to his community; his large international LGBTQIA+ family, and conceives of the project Altarpieces.

The Concept

To use the words of queer philosopher Lorenzo Bernini “In Altarpieces groups of LGBTQI+ people of different nationalities are invited to use swatches of their own clothing to sew homobitranspan(+)phobic insults on as many pieces of cloth as there are countries, in all the languages of the world. An ephemeral community without borders or laws, founded by a shared experience of abjection. Outside space and time and yet here and now – like a revolution, like a miracle. Martyrs. Remains. Or, aptly, debris. That’s who, that’s what: perverts of the world, unite!” (In Asincronie Montini, by Lorenzo Bernini, 2021)

Why "Altarpieces"?

Ruben Montini is Italian and was born in Sardinia to an extremely Catholic family, he distanced himself from his Christian upbringing during his adolescence, and when he came out at age seventeen. In spite of this, Montini’s work is steeped in “Christological” moments and iconography, which he juxtaposes with the LGBTQIA+ world. Thus, in Altarpieces, it is his community that narrates its own daily martyrdom while doing nothing but living out its nature in the construction of a freer and more secular society.

Project Description

Montini is asking members of the LGBTQIA+ community to come together and share their experiences of social, familial, occupational, and other discriminations. To do this, the artist asks those who participate to sew their clothing or cut letters from it that spell the discriminatory phrases they have suffered.

Why one’s own clothes? Personal clothes are seen in this sense as empirical witnesses of the discrimination suffered, steeped in our fear and in the insults we all bear. Altarpieces creates community. The history of art is full of works created by artists who have involved groups of people in the creation of choral works including “needle and thread” pieces; and around and through these they told their stories communally: just think of the works of Judy Chicago (1939), or Suzanne Lacy (1945), and Faith Ringgold (1930) but also more recently the works of Roma artist Malgorzata Mirga-Tas (1978), shown at the Polish Pavilion of the last edition of the Venice Biennale. The most important landmark works in Montini’s oeuvre remains the AIDS Memorial Quilt started in San Francisco by gay rights activist Cleve Jones in 1985.

Previous "Altarpieces" (a few examples)

Italy

The Altarpiece of Italy was made at the Gallerie delle Prigioni of the Benetton Foundation in Treviso: for the entire time the exhibition was open to the public (June-November 2021), the Altarpiece was installed in a dedicated room: anyone among the visitors who recognized themselves as part of the LGBTQIA+ community could ask the staff for scissors, needle, and thread to contribute their testimony.

Poland

The Altarpiece of Poland was created at NOMUS, New Art Museum – The National Museum in Gdánsk. Throughout the three inaugural days of the museum, visitors could interact with the work. Shifts were also made with the various local LGBTQIA+ associations that took turns working throughout the participatory event.

Refugee Works

The artist is currently working with refugees from Ukraine and some Arab nations to make the Altarpieces of their countries in his studio in Turin, which is seen as a safe space for those who cannot declare their identities in their own countries without risk of persecution.