For Lesson #8 of Lezioni d’Italiano, Napolitean artist SAGG NAPOLI presents SAGG SCOPA FAT – a durational project which departs from Naples and moves simultaneously across different European countries and digital platforms.
SAGG NAPOLI is a body of ongoing, semi-autobiographical research initiated in 2014. As the artist describes her practice: “SAGG NAPOLI narrates the current socio-economic situation of Southern Europe, with my research becoming manifest through objects, videos, social media, as well as my very own body and presence including clothes and style”.
Delving into what the artist calls ‘South Aesthetics’, Lezione #8 revisits Scopa – a traditional card game played by Italians of all ages since the 16th-century. The word ‘Scopa’ is itself intriguing, meaning ‘broom’ or ‘to fuck’ since taking a ‘scopa’ means to ‘sweep’ all the cards from the table.
To begin the games, the artist shares on Instagram a newly designed deck of digital Napoletane and a series of video tutorials. SAGG NAPOLI and friends perform their version of Clubs, Golds, Swords and Cups, infusing the cards with erotic moves and motives. Each card’s backdrop encapsulates geographical clues from Stromboli, Naples, Milan, and London – all places that connect the artist personal experience with the Trust and as a whole. After a first phase in which cards are revealed, SAGG will share a series of video tutorials on how to play with them
Here’s the first tutorial to prep yourself before starting the games. SAGG NAPOLI – Good Luck With Your Nailz
By reanimating and performing a traditional card game, which brings together families and friends, the artist creates an intimate space for gathering at a time when physical movement is temporarily limited. Her body, gestures and clothing act as a physical archive, becoming a vehicle to access hidden or less visible narratives about sexuality and one’s origins. An exploration of desires, concerns and personal roots through intimate conversations provides, in turn, a space for self-expression; a way to open up to others more empathically, and rethink the role that local communities have in the re-writing of histories.
Cards designed by Jane Donna.
Jane Donna was born in Siena. From a young age, she has been passionate about the memory of extinct species. She graduated in Natural Science from the University of Pisa. Motivated to expand her research in the subject, she moved from Italy and lived abroad for several years. In 2001, after a judicial proceeding, she was forced to return back to Italy, where she still lives. She then obtained a Master Degree in Applied Digital Art from Rainbow Academy in Rome. From that moment on, she decided to dedicate herself entirely to digital practices, while maintaining alive her passion for natural sciences.
