“Art at the Osteria” is a new season of art on show right through the summer at the L’Osteria in Piazza Angelio. Inside the main sala, paintings by the Barga artist Alba Calamari can be seen on display but now added to that is a new exhibition of paintings outside the Osteria. The work on display is only one large oil painting on an easel but that painting will be changed daily over the next 30 days giving regular clients of the Osteria a daily glimpse into the artistic thought processes and visual games of another of Barga’s artists – the painter Keane. (his site is here) For those unable to get to the L’Osteria or for those too impatient to wait to see how the project works out over the next 30 days, do not despair – you can see all the images by clicking here

“In 1995 there was a referendum in Italy concerning just how many adverts could be transmitted during a film. Berlusconi wanted to increase the number (and therefore his revenue) He brought out daily on all of his Mediaset channels all of his big presenters and stars who informed the Italian public that their civil rights were being eroded if he was not allowed to increase the number of adverts show on their screens. I switched off my television set in protest against these wordy pretentious presenters who were being paid huge sums to spout complete rubbish about eroded civil rights. I have not switched the TV back on since.”

“To celebrate being free from the idiot box, I decided to make some work about the TV and so collected and opened up a number of them. These paintings are all about the stuff that was inside televisions in the mid 90’s. I have taken small hidden objects, transistors, diodes and resistors and increased their scale to become huge objects in a landscape like environment lit by strong light. Something tiny and unobtrusive becoming iconic and bursting with meaning …. ….. …. maybe – keane ”