Updated: Jun 11
As part of the 40th Anniversary celebration of Jazz Ascona, Eden Roc Ascona is hosting "Jazz Off The Wall," a mural by Yuri Catania.
This unique project, titled "Jazz, Gumbo & Love," is a site-specific art installation created in tribute to the renowned New Orleans couple: Desi & Wess Anderson. Last November, Catania had the honor of portraying them in their beloved city of New Orleans. Wess, a talented saxophonist, and his wife Daisy, a gifted chef from Louisiana, both contribute to the rich cultural tapestry at the iconic Pontchartrain Hotel.
In addition to their portraits, Catania captured the enchanting nightscape of flowers and plants native to Louisiana. These images were creatively blended with photographs of flowers from Parco delle Camelie in Locarno, symbolizing the connection between Louisiana and Ascona in the Ticino region.
The mural, crafted using sustainable paper and glue, reimagines street art in a gentle and ephemeral manner. This project demonstrates that street art transcends traditional painting or spraying, embracing the art of revisited posters. The vibrant colors of nature and the memorable characters celebrated in Jazz Ascona aim to evoke joy and cheerfulness.
To enhance the experience, additional video content is accessible through the ArtiVive app. This integration of augmented reality provides viewers with clues, allowing them to hear the music that plays such an integral role in these musicians' lives.
The ephemeral nature of the artwork adds a layer of melancholy and a poignant reminder that these creations will not last forever. This fleeting existence fosters emotional tension and a desire to preserve the memory of the works by visiting them in the Borgo of Ascona.
Visitors are invited to immerse themselves in this celebration of music, art, and the enduring spirit of Jazz Ascona.
The Festival will take place from 20 to 29 of June in the borgo of Ascona. Come to visit the City and enjoy the exhibition where Eden Roc is one of the most significant spot in the tour.
City Of Future: Art 4 Everybody - Site Specific Mural by Yuri Catania committed by City Carburoil in Tenero Switzerland
Yuri Catania brought a dedicated paste-up artwork to life in a public space on the biggest wall of the "City Bistrò" in Tenero measuring 7 meters by 180 cm. It was a testament to the idea that contemporary art can and should happen among people.
"The City Of Future" was born in collaboration with Lorenza Cattaneo President of City Carburoil, and Simone Riva Architect, celebrating the first anniversary of City Bistrò in Tenero, Switzerland.
The artist immersed himself among the people frequenting this City Bistrò and he has been a heartfelt experience. Entering into their daily lives, from their first morning coffee to the evening aperitif, hour by hour, they begun to know each other, his art and their stories. In a few days days, they went from strangers to leaving a mark among friends who, from the first day on, in front of his completed work, they will continue to travel through the surrealism of this piece dedicated to them.
The surrealistic artwork represents a Swiss astronaut as a tribute to our mountain biking champion, Filippo Colombo, and some of the mountains of our region, Monte Generoso, dear to the artist, and Cimetta, the home mountain for the people of Tenero surrounded and fully immersed in a blooms wave of dahlias from CasaGalleria garden and, of camelia from the Camelie Park in Locarno.
Yuri Catania creates the poster for the historic JazzAscona Festival through a piece of art that celebrates the fortieth anniversary of JazzAscona with a photo composition of the musicians and artists who have made the history of New Orleans Jazz in Ascona, photographed by the artist in the American city last November. Over seventy portrayed characters are immersed in a surrealistic atmosphere where the architectural elements of French houses and the tropical flowers of New Orleans engage in dialogue with those of the village of Ascona, like the 16th-century bell tower, along with the camellias from the Locarno park, which were captured by Catania at night on the shores of Lake Maggiore to create a connection with the nature of the territory, a recurring theme in the artist's work. The fusion of distinctive elements from both cultures seals the twinning between the two cities, New Orleans and Ascona, Sister Cities since 2022. This work will be created using the photo collage technique and can be viewed at the Municipal Museum of Modern Art in Ascona from 06/22/2024 to 09/01/24 in the format 43 x 71 inches.
The new visual identity of JazzAscona is inspired by the "Jazz Off The Wall" project, a significant street art event, conceived and realized by artist Yuri Catania to celebrate 40 years of JazzAscona, which starting from next Easter will display about forty photographic works in extra-large format on public and private buildings in Ascona. "Jazz Off The Wall" will be officially introduced at the end of March.
The visual created by Catania, like all his works, includes an extra video or photographic content, which can be activated with augmented reality. Once posted on the street, by framing them using the Artivive app (available for download at this address: https://artivive.com/), the posters will come to life creating an interaction with the work itself.
JazzAscona will take place from June 20th to 29th and will offer no less than 300 concerts with big names from New Orleans and artists from all over Switzerland and Europe.
More information:
Ufficio stampa JazzAscona - Luca Martinelli: +41 78 673 45 05 press@jazzascona.ch
Yuri Catania Studio Art - Silvia Torricelli: +41 79 137 3111 silvia@yuricatania.art