Super-Noi (Torino), 1996
Black and white printing ink on 50 sheets of acetate Each 29.7 x 21 cm
Photo: Marcos Morilla
Maurizio Cattelan is known for his irreverent and sometimes poignant installations, which reflect upon the problematic nature of the relationship between art and life. Super-Noi (Torino) [Super-Us (Torino)] consists of a series of portraits of Cattelan, drawn by a forensic sketch artist from the physical description given by a number of the artist’s friends and acquaintances. The result is a kaleidoscopic representation of an individual, which reflects upon the subjectivity of perception. Using the talent of a professional whose work is supposed to precisely render the identity of criminals to track them down, Cattelan stresses on the contradictory nature of such endeavour.
On the other hand, the work’s title references and demystifies one of the key concepts of psychoanalysis: the superego, the part of the subject that internalizes moral rules and social restrictions. In place of a possible unified self, Cattelan offers a comically schizophrenic exposition of different interpretations of his identity.
