Cane Morto “TOYS” Exhibition in Milan

April 27, 2016 Artists

Man against man. Man against God. Man against himself. Man against gratuitously opinionated and parochial graff heads, Street Art fanboys, and self-appointed explainers of the “rules” of the street.

These are a few of the recurring themes in “TOYS” by the Italian free-thinking brutalists and long-pole bucket painters named Canemorto in their exhibition with Superfluo at Section80. Street Artists with a purer vision than many in this murky milieu, Canemorto buck conventions and honor the rules of graffiti, street art, and contemporary art at their own peril, often feeling triangulated and abused by the undertaking.

Cane Morto TOYS at Section 80. Milano, Italy. (photo © Jacopo Farina)

Here in their simplistic and horrid toy diorama of Evil Vs Evil Vs Deluded Vs Good; the opinions and assorted powers are all unleashed on an even playing field, ready to bash each other over the head, skew one another with postmodern bayonets and sundry weaponry.

“In my opinion, nobody can remake these paintings. They’re not reasoned. It’s an instinctive style,” says the art restorer Camillo Tarozzi in their accompanying dramatized and musical video, when discussing what appears to be the taking of walls by Canemorto in public/private space.

The debates about the rightness of this art being taken, preserved, displayed in a different context has been brought to the fore recently by their countryman Blu in Bologna in response to his street walls now on exhibit in a museum.

Cane Morto TOYS at Section 80. Milano, Italy. (photo © Jacopo Farina)

But the weight of historical practices of preservation wrestling with the forces of ephemerous ‘street cred’ is like matching a tyrannosaurus with a Transformer; which is why the “TOYS” diorama in the community show space of an advertising/production company encapsulates some of their internal dilemmas so perfectly. Seeing the artists themselves as packaged products hanging on the wall commodifies them in a way that is knowingly sarcastic, thrilling, and drowned in irony. Collect all three!

In their films and in their practice Canemorto are chanting like shamans casting spells to keep away the evil spirits of commercialism and general lameness. Sitting on the couch or climbing over fences the masked trio repeatedly invoke the autonomy and authenticity of “the street” while other versions of success beckon to them, cloaked in something shinier, elusive, enticing.

Cane Morto TOYS at Section 80. Milano, Italy. (photo © Jacopo Farina)

As in their previously released long-form street art film they are seeking direction from an ever-watchful periodically-appearing somewhat sadistic spirit guide. As they navigate the route one wonders if this leader has their best interests in mind, and even how he qualified for his position.

Similarly, after nearly a decade of monstrous works on the street, many nights of ducking and painting, and the endless studying of the culture that they are acting within, the title “TOYS” is clearly offered with a sense of humor and does not apply to Canemorto.