Help me change art so that we can change the world.

FIRST, WE MUST AWAKE THE THOUGHT IN ART.

In other words, artists must think how they can best use their art in order to change humanity.

PLEASE READ THIS:

“art about art”

Raffaele Martini Pandozy Ph.D.

(Sculptor and Doctor of Philosophy in Art Education)

New York University Alumni

PRESS RELEASE

MARTINI PAN DOZY BELIEVES HE CAN CHANGE ART, WHICH MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE, BUT WE ALL MUST DO OUR PART

Re: Proposal for a Sculpture “Obelisk Phenomenology” for your Downtown Arts’ District.

Contact: Sulma Gonzales. Email: artpressrelease@aol.com

Dear Museum Director,

Raffaele Martini Pandozy is a 72 years old artist born in Rome Italy. In 1967 he went to the USA to study American art and earned a Master degree in the History of art, a master degree in sculpture and a Ph.D. in aesthetic and art education from NYU. He has worked as an artist in San Francisco, in Dallas, Texas, in NewYork, in Koln, Germany, and in Milan Italy. After 42 years, he is now trying to return to his origin in Rome, Italy embodying his life experiences in his work.

Several people own his work in several parts of the world, but little is known about him since he has lived a life of solitude, study and work, and has had no time to socialize. He has had one man-show at the Dallas Museum of Art under the direction of Harry Parker and Bob Murdock. Among the collections in which he is represented are the Dallas Museum of Art, the Fort Worth Modern Art Museum, The San Francisco Art Museum, and some prominent private collections, like the Eugene Mc. Dermott and the Guerin, the Clark Collection, The University of Dallas and University of Texas collections.

Thirty years in New York City working in absolute anonymity is bound to temper any artist’s character in a very special way. We may say that Conceptual Art and applied philosophical and scientific thought was his point of departure, but his work was to evolve faster than that of any other artist and detach him from the New York art scene entirely.

. During the time in New York, Martini Pandozy measured his work against all major mainstream artists of the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s and assessed its quality and worth. He worked side by side and exchanged ideas at the Broome St. Bar in SoHo with artists like Donald Judd, Joseph Kosuth, Sol Lewitt, Richard Serra, Mark De Suvero, Robert Morris, and even Robert Rauschemberg, who he saw from time to time. John Weber, Leo Castelli, O.K. Harris, and Ronald Feldman Galleries kept his work under observation for several years while he was preparing to make his entrance in the New York mainstream art scene. He maintained close contact with Guggenheim director Thomas Messer, LA director Richard Kashalek, Metropolitan Museum Director Philiph de Montebello, New Museum Director Marcia Tucker, and interacted with several critics, such as Robert Rosemblum, Carter Ratcliff, Donald Kuspitt, Lucy Lippard, historians Meyer Shapiro and Barbara Rose while he was active at New York University Art Department, but he realized he was growing ever more distant from them.

Martini Pandozy began to incorporate language in his work 1975 with his Dallas Museum show and to develop a concept of historical self-reflection he called: “Art about Art”, namely, art looking at itself and realigning itself historically and philosophically, but only few people could grab such advanced concept. Because of this he was either ignored or hated. He began writing on plaster turning language and sculpture into an intellectual and pure metaphysical experience. As of today, only few of his museum installation projects have been executed and exposed to the public, though his work had the higher historical purpose to reawaken the thought of art. He kept telling the New York art world that “nothing happens without thought and atrophy of mind inevitable makes art unproductive and repetitive.” He believed that art must have a higher intentional purpose in life and thought is necessary to develop concepts, which must come before the work, not after. This kind of language, he believed, would bring about a New Humanism” and change the history of humanity as a whole. “All my life I have struggled with determining art’s anthropological value, which is an idea larger than life.”

During his studies at the University of New York he was involved in developing a cognitive taxonomy of art, which would determine how visual images affect the human psyche. He arrived at the conclusion that the language of art cannot be productive without conceptual structure, sense and reference i.e., in determining the meaning of life, and purpose in society. It was during the late 1980’s that he began to write the book “Of Arteology”, which has now grown into a phenomenological interdisciplinary study of 3 volumes, approx. 1960 pages. This “opus magnum” or monumental work, is aimed specifically at correcting art’s historical fallacies an bring about philosophical accuracy since much knowledge is now available in neural science and microbiology, which allows to determine brain functions and define mental faculties. He has always said that by realigning and expanding the concept and the perception of art one can identify art’s true and essential humanistic values and therefore bring back a New Renaissance.

This type of discourse is well established in his book, which is still unpublished, since it requires a valiant publisher with great knowledge and understanding. However, he has developed projects of public art and monumental sculptures applying the very same humanistic principles-- visionary monumental works that combine sculpture, architecture science and philosophy. In 1978 he won the first price of the City of Dallas art competition with a polished aluminum model called: “The Twin theaters”, a revolving futuristic combination of mobile sculpture and visionary architecture. Many drawings of these monumental works have been in his drawer for all these years, among which, a revolutionary project for a contemporary museum of art that some people say: “it beats the Guggenheim museum of New York”.

He also worked for more than one year in designing a monument for the 9/11 Ground Zero Memorial competition in New York City. This sculptural-architectural piece is rather unique because it revolutionizes the basic principles of architecture as far as gravity, stress and distribution of masses are concerned. Unfortunately, the work was a real loss for New York City, since it could not be presented or viewed properly due to the enormous preconditions and absurd competition rules. The judging panel, however, ended up choosing a lawn with a fountain and called it “memorial” and afterwards, seeking advises from Martini Pandozy to find a solution for finding a proper place for the victims’ plaques and placate the controversy that such flaw had produced. Such panel completely ignored that Martini Pandozy’s website drew thousands of visitors” who acclaimed his piece and wanted to see it realized.

The Obelisk “Phenomenology” reiterates Martini Pandozy’s deep concerns for changing the arts and the world altogether. It is aimed at inspiring artists’ with profound philosophical ideas that place art at the center of humanity. Why would otherwise anyone build a monument to a word? Language is “the house of being” said M. Heidegger. Change the language, and as a result, you will change art and the world. We all remember, John Lennon of the Beatles wanting to change the world and dying carrying with him such desire. Martini Pandozy believes he can do the same with language because language tells us who we are culturally and anthropologically. “I believe a monument to the word “Phenomenology” will ask many questions, like it did to me for 45 years, and will inspire artists to move beyond the current casual concerns of art as decoration or entertainment, to embody and communicate more profound meaning that benefits the quality of life in the world.”

After 45 years of studies in the field of German Philosophy, art and art education Martini Pandozy was able to make a true assessment of the entire history of art and open its potential with only one word. All this time he has been studying and writing about the enormous potential meaning of the word: “Phenomenology” – a meaning that is not fully understood in schools and universities. Only Martin Heidegger understood it fully since he was able to equate it with the infinite potentiality of “ontology” and anthropology.

In short, the word “phenomenology” connotes with the fundamental study of essential phenomena determining the true philosophy of life. Thus this word involves infinite knowledge, which calls for infinite research in order to achieve the true perception of reality. It is a fact that phenomena, physical, spiritual and social, tell us who we are, and therefore how phenomena can affect the life of all people. They affect our thoughts, our ideas, our desires and our beliefs. In substance, art must deal with pure phenomenal reality, rather than reveries. The need to deal with the true philosophy of life originated from Kant’s Enlightenment and his successors Hegel, Husserl and Heidegger, but no one before Martini Pandozy was able to see the correlation with art and how important it is to determine the authenticity of art works as expressions of being. Martin Heidegger was able to show Martini Pandozy the way to “ontology” as authenticity of existence, which Martini Pandozy thought artists must champion in order to produce art works with anthropological values. Phenomenology is what brings the authenticity of being into evidence. This Martin Heidegger learnt it from his teacher Husserl. He knew that phenomenology was sufficient ingredient to determine authentic existence and art with it can stand with confidence before the world. This thought is what inspired Martini Pandozy’s art and should inspire the art world as well.

As an end, the word “Phenomenology” is important for the intellectual development of art and artists themselves, who learn precisely what Heidegger meant about achieving “authenticity of being”. In this age, it is historically important to place art’s intellectual energy upon reality, to move the context of art from reveries to the fundamental values of our times. That is why Martini Pandozy has written about it, and designed a monument for this word. This monument when erected in a public space will ask many questions that will eventually produce a reformation and an expansion of the perception of art to benefit humanity as a whole.

All people that are genuinely interested in advancing the arts should help erect Martini Pandozy’s “Obelisk Phenomenology”

Physical Characteristics:

Medium: Corten Steel mm.7, thickness.

Dimensions: h. m.23; b. m.2,75 x 2,75.

Base: Reinforced Concrete

Illumination: One 4,000 Watt fixture from below

Cordially, Sulma Gonzales

For More Information, Please contact Ms. Sulma Gonzales at artpressrelease@aol.com