Gianni Melotti's Photographs of Giuseppe Chiari Published in 'La fotografia è facile'

The book 'La fotografia è facile' (Giunti, 2019) presents Gianni Melotti's photographs of Fluxus artist Giuseppe Chiari (1926–2007), taken primarily in the 1970s. The title echoes Chiari's own declarations 'L'arte è facile' and 'La musica è facile', reflecting the Fluxus ethos of free, unconstrained creativity. Melotti's collaboration with Chiari began in 1974 at the art/tapes/22 center in Florence, directed by Maria Gloria Bicocchi, during the production of the videotape 'Il suono'. The book includes previously unpublished images from Melotti's archive, recently digitized from negatives, contact sheets, and color slides. These photographs document Chiari's performances, some now forgotten, such as 'Discussione a Livorno' (1978). Francesca Gallo's essay highlights how the images shed light on Chiari's work and the contemporary art scene. The volume also features a recent work by Melotti, 'Nota' (2018), created from a suggestion by Chiari years earlier. Lorenzo Bruni's critical text reflects on the publication as a 'book/work' and on the power of media to manipulate reality. Historical texts are reprinted, including Francesca Alinovi's commentary on 'Gesti sul piano' from the 1977 Settimana internazionale della performance in Bologna, and Chiari's own 'Giocare con la macchina fotografica' (1977). Chiari sometimes signed and dated Melotti's photographs, transforming them into his own artworks, as seen in 'La musica è facile' (1976).