Giovanni Di Stefano
Painting, Performance
Born in 1958 in Rome
Since 1982 member of the artists' group 'Gruppo Eventualista' (Rome)
In 1985 he graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome.
Giovanni Di Stefano has lived and worked in Basel since 1989.
Since 1982 Di Stefano has been active in Italy and Switzerland, holding regular exhibitions (Maison 44 2008/09/10/11/12), giving performances and lectures and aiding students who have written their undergraduate or Master's theses on his work and his artistic theories.
Giovanni Di Stefano's work has been included in the textbook Arte del Novecento 1945-2001 (Mondadori University, 2002). In 2004, the book Storia eventualista 1977-2003 was published about the artists' group (Gangemi, Rome).
About his work
At the heart of Di Stefano's art lies spontaneity and thus the 'be spontaneous' paradox (P. Watzlawick). Di Stefano's solution is to give precise tasks to himself or his public. Whoever endeavours to carry out these tasks precisely will make mistakes. These mistakes, however, are an expression of personality and the actual aesthetic result. The more 'perfect' is the task prescribed by the artist, the deeper will be the expression of personality (i.e. the mistake).
For more on this matter, see: