Giuliana Bruno on Surface, Screen, and Materiality in Art
Giuliana Bruno, born in Naples in 1957, relocated to the United States due to limitations in her academic pursuits. She contributed to October magazine and later became a professor at Harvard, specializing in Visual and Environmental Studies. Her notable works include monographs on artists such as Isaac Julien, along with theoretical texts like 'Atlas of Emotion' (2002) and 'Public Intimacy' (2007). In a conversation held in Naples during the 'Carta Bianca. Capodimonte Imaginaire' exhibition, she reflects on her book 'Superfici' (Johan and Levi, 2017), translated into Italian. Bruno critiques the notion of objectivity, drawing on Foucault and Proust, and connects surface reading to biopolitics, using Issey Miyake's fashion as an illustration. This interview was conducted by Marco Enrico Giacomelli and featured in Artribune Magazine #41.
Key facts
- Giuliana Bruno was born in 1957 in Naples, Italy.
- She worked at October magazine and followed the New York art scene.
- She has been a professor at Harvard University for 25 years.
- Her publications include monographs on Isaac Julien, Jesper Just, Chantal Akerman, and Rosa Barba.
- Her theoretical works include 'Atlas of Emotion' (2002), 'Public Intimacy' (2007), and 'Surfaces' (2014).
- The interview took place in Naples during the exhibition 'Carta Bianca. Capodimonte Imaginaire' at Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte.
- Bruno argues that the screen originated in Renaissance architecture as a filter, not with cinema.
- She criticizes the digital rhetoric of transparency, stating that borders have multiplied and become invisible.
- She critiques Michael Fried's distinction between absorption and theatricality.
- Bruno emphasizes the importance of reading surfaces as symptoms in contemporary art.
Entities
Artists
- Giuliana Bruno
- Isaac Julien
- Jesper Just
- Chantal Akerman
- Rosa Barba
- Krzysztof Wodiczko
- Issey Miyake
- Marco Enrico Giacomelli
Institutions
- Harvard University
- October
- Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte
- Johan and Levi
- Artribune
Locations
- Naples
- Italy
- United States
- New York