To create an alternative to the present system: this is the first thing that comes to mind to anyone working in a mainly cultural panorama. My path as a supporter of Street Art, and today as a curator inside a more traditional, conventional situation, has given me the opportunity to explore questions regarding the administration and management of public entities in Italy and, more precisely, in Rome. Art helps to keep the critical sense of old and new generations alive. It is the key to develop a structure that is increasingly democratic, in which you can be an artist, a producer or a user. Art would be a stronger presence if there were funds to support creative productions, but the culture cuts are killing every single possibility of growth in this country. GarageZero is a space just formed in the territory of Rome, which attempts to provide an alternative to the existing state-controlled system; it welcomes the vibrations of urban poetics, putting new spotlights on creativity and research, and augmenting a new form of economics thanks to the works that are presented in the space, but generally found in the street. Street Art, unlike other movements, meets with much recognition today from the institutions, though often they do not really respect the work of these artists who take art into unconventional places, almost totally extraneous to more traditional contexts like museums. GarageZero is a reality that exists behind the scenes of productions and installations, creating an urban short circuit; it is a platform of research and study, which grants the possibility of active participation to one and all.
MARTA GARGIULO
Founder member of GarageZero, an occupied, public and self-managed space in the Quadraro borough in Rome. She collaborates with the chair of Contemporary Art at La Sapienza University of Rome.