Angelica Mesiti

Angelica Mesiti
Born	1976 (1976) Sydney, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Known for	Video art
Awards	Blake Prize, 2009

Angelica Mesiti (born 1976, Sydney[1]) is an Australian multi-disciplinary artist of Italian descent, best known for her combination of performance with video, sound and spatial installation that result in highly contemplative spaces. Her work is situated at the interstice of diasporic cultures, gestural communication and sensory togetherness.[2][3][4]

Angelica Mesiti has completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of New South Wales in Sydney.[5]

In 2009, Mesiti is the recipient of the 58th Blake Prize for her 10 minute video work called 'Rapture (silent anthem)', which depicts in slow motion joyful youths bathed in bright sunlight.[6] Angelica Mesiti has been exhibiting her work since 2011 in venues including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the 19th Biennale of Sydney, the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Artspace Sydney, the National Gallery of Australia, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montréal and the Palais de Tokyo, among others.[7][8]

Mesiti has become best known for video works that use cinematic conventions and performance languages as a means of responding to personal histories and specific environments.[5]

Mesiti was a founding member of the Sydney-based artist-run initiative Imperial Slacks, where she curated the two-part video publication Serial 7's.[5]

Angelica Mesiti represented Australia at the 2019 Venice Biennale,[9] with a three chanel work called ASSEMBLY filmed in the Senate chambers of Italy and Australia, and projected within an architectural amphitheater.[10] It was selected as a highlight of the exhibition by Artsy and Designboom.[11][12] According to Associated Press, the work examine "ways citizens can assemble and communicate against the backdrop of fragile democracy." The artist suggests the work explore "the space where communication moves from verbal and written forms to non-verbal, gestural and musical forms."[13]

Selected works

• The rain that fell in the faint light of the young Sun (2022)
• Future Perfect Continuous (2022)
• Over the Air and Underground (2020)
• A Hundred Years (2020)
• Assembly (2019)
• Relay League (2017)[14][15]
• Mother Tongue (2017)[14]
• Tossed by Waves (2017)[14]
• The Colour of Saying (2015)[14][16]
• Nakh Removed (2015)[14]
• In the Ear of the Tyrant (2014)
• The Calling (2013–14)[14]
• Citizens Band (2012)[14]
• Prepared Piano for Movers (Haussmann) (2012)
• Rapture (Silent Anthem) (2009)[14]

Selected publications

• A Communication of Stranger Gestures Angelica Mesiti, Art Space, 2017.
• Angelica Mesiti «Quand faire c’est dire» Palais de Tokyo 20.02 - 12.05, 2019.
• Angelica Mesiti Assembly, Australia Council for the Arts, Pavilion of Australia at the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, 2019.
• In the Round Angelica Mesiti, Talbot Rice Gallery, 2022.

References

1. Great women artists. Phaidon Press. 2019. p. 270. ISBN 978-0714878775.
2. "Angelica Mesiti". Retrieved 20 December 2023.
3. De Beauvais, Daria (2019). Angelica Mesiti «Quand faire c’est dire» Palais de Tokyo 20.02-12.05 2019. France: les presses du réel. pp. 77–82. ISBN 978-2-37896-084-1.
4. Glass-Kantor, Alexie (1 February 2018). "Angelica Mesi In Conversation with Alexie Glass-Kantor and Haeju Kim". Ocula.com. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
5. "Angelica Mesiti". UNSW Sites. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
6. "2009 Judges Comments". Blake Prize. 8 September 2009. Archived from the original on 8 September 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
7. "Mesiti, Angelica - Biography". Mutual Art. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
8. Morin, Maryse (2015). "Angelica Mesiti : « Citizens Band... » Le sens de ce qui circule entre nous". ETC Media. 104 (February–June): 11–12 – via Érudit.
9. Russeth, Andrew (9 March 2018). "Australia Picks Angelica Mesiti for 2019 Venice Biennale Pavilion". ARTnews. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
10. "Venice Biennale 2019".
11. Lesser, Casey (10 May 2019). "The Venice Biennale's 10 Best Pavilions". Artsy. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
12. Marchese, Kieron (16 May 2019). "the venice art biennales 15 best national pavilions". Designboom. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
13. "Project 3: Angelica Mesiti".
14. Jeffreys, Tom (5 December 2017). "How We Speak". Frieze. No. 192. ISSN 0962-0672.
15. Nam, Ye Eun (2018). "Relay League: Angelica Mesiti". ArtAsiaPacific. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
16. Sebag-Montefiore, Clarissa (8 May 2015). "Angelica Mesiti: the artist who records a choir in song without a single sound". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.