One thing is sure: any project that is to be defined as reliable, destined to increase in value over time, must include at least one man in the team. But, and you can bank on this, it definitely cannot involve two women starting out together because, as everyone knows, they will be bound to disband. Sara and Eleonora have managed to dismantle this kind of mentality, with a long series of successful collaborations and a rising market value that has lasted 25 years. They are pioneers in affirming – also from a market perspective – an approach to artistic production based on a completely feminine vision and languages.
When we started out, there was a lot of distrust, primarily towards the duo, and in our case, the fact that we are two women added to it. In terms of investment, the common worry was that our relationship wouldn’t last.
With their unconditional dedication to the desire for a stereotype-free narrative, they have helped to reconnect the attention and perception of the work of new generations of artists, even in the spaces of institutionalised art. Goldschmied & Chiari affirmed and consolidated their project at a time when, in order to be considered by the market, the project team had to include at least one man and they did so without compromising, exploring with genuine intellectual transparency the social context of the time, as well as the perception of the self, the era, and the conscience of society as a whole.
Goldschmied & Chiari: what is it?
Sara Goldschmied and Eleonora Chiari founded their artistic duo Goldschmied & Chiari in 2001. They work in Milan using different media, including photography, performance, video and installation, exploring the concepts of history and memory with a provocative approach, always on the edge between irony and parody, disorientation and a visual and semantic détournement.
In their work, Goldschmied & Chiari emphasise topics related to sexuality and the female identity, frequently using their own physical presence in performances. They have achieved national and international recognition, collaborating with institutions, museums and Biennials.
We were so focused on conceptual and visual expression that we didn’t realise that just by existing and proposing our work, we were breaking patterns. It was an amazing adventure.
Sara, Eleonora, we want to start immediately with your #sisterhood story, because it is extraordinary and because it is intimately linked to the uniqueness of your artistic project. How did it start?
We met during university, we were both part of a cyberfeminist group, so we first got together in the field of political activism. But then another passion we shared allowed us to get to know each other better: photography. We both keen photographers and Sara had a darkroom where she developed and printed her work, so it was in that darkroom that we got to know each other better, that we started printing our first works and that was where we decided to do the first project together. Starting out in the art world as a couple of women was interesting and now, in retrospect, we also realise that it was brave, but at that time we had no clue how out of the box it was . We also started out as an activist duo , as well as artists with a visual research: at the beginning we were completely absorbed by our search for authenticity of expression, so while we were born and proposed as a duo, we did not pay the slightest attention to the fact that we ourselves were a message. We were focused on conceptual and visual expression and didn’t realise that just by existing and proposing our work, we were breaking patterns. It was an amazing adventure.
Starting out in the art world as a couple of women was interesting and now, in retrospect, we also realise that it was brave, but at that time we had no clue how out of the box it was.
25 years since the first exhibition, but you had worked together before. A relationship that, statistically speaking, has lasted longer than most marriages, based on freedom and mutual respect. Tell us more . . .
Our first exhibition was in 2001, but we started working together around 1997 and 1998, creating our first projects. Our relationship? Yes, well, it is not difficult to compare it to a marriage, in fact, you could say that it might even be more solid than that, since it has been heavily dotted with changes, mutations, transformations over time. In this extraordinary span of time, because then it’s really more than 25 years. And it is not even difficult to call it a great love story, the kind of love you have for a sister, for a friend, for the one who, in all respects, becomes a companion in a part of your life. The great strength of this incredible experience is undoubtedly inspired and nourished by the powerful energy generated by freedom and true mutual respect.
Changing, evolving and yet not losing oneself is an extraordinary experience, but it requires complete trust in the other person and the courage to allow them the time they need. Life has also led us to have different experiences, to make different choices, but this has never divided us. Although the subjects remain the same, a living relationship is always different, because we are different as time passes and we gain experience. Freedom is the key: this great freedom has allowed us to choose – every day in a different way – to be free to choose, to be free to choose one another, to respect each other, to respect our ideas, our visions and to be able to build a shared one together.
The great strength of this incredible experience is undoubtedly inspired and nourished by the powerful energy generated by freedom and true mutual respect. Changing, evolving and yet not losing oneself is an extraordinary experience.
The free expression of identity also passes through economic emancipation. In this sense, you have been pioneers in the world of art, because you imposed yourselves, breaking the stereotype and establishing the credibility of an all-female artistic duo. What was it like to set the boundaries you needed to defend your duo and at the same time make an all-female project appealing?
Well, when we first started out, there was a lot of distrust, primarily towards the duo, and in our case, the fact that we are two women added to it. For the system it was more acceptable to be a couple in life and art, so we were a bit out of the box. In terms of investment, the common worry was that our relationship wouldn’t last. The constant thought was “Okay, I’ll buy you now, but then you might fall out or no longer be a couple of artists” and so there was some lack of trust in this sense. Initially we found ourselves in that hybrid situation where we wanted to enter into a relationship with the art world, but at the same time we felt like total outsiders. Today, finally, there is a huge interest in the female perspective in the art world.
The female and the feminist perspective, we can say, something that was taken less into considered at the time, even though the generation of women before ours had already more than ruffled the feathers of the status quo. It is a medium that is increasingly being understood. Years ago it was just beginning and it was not part of the formal language of contemporary art. But at least we’ve got there now. Without a doubt, the spaces and opportunities available have multiplied and there is a widespread interest in the female point of view in the world of art… it is 2024 after all. From the point of view of the market, however, the difference is still tangible.
Today, finally, there is widespread interest in the female point of view and languages in the world of art… But at least we’re there now.… From the point of view of the market, however, the difference is still tangible.
In terms of your artistic commitment, what is the message that you most want to communicate? What lever of change do you aim to trigger?
Beyond the specific theme or the way in which we shape it, the central element of our work is the change in perspective: what we hope to do is offer the viewer the opportunity to shift their gaze, to redefine their inner boundaries.
Whether it’s history, ecology, art or artificial landscapes, our goal is to create an open space, in which every interpretation is personal and never absolute. We are more interested in the process than the point of arrival: a small inner revolution, a moment of reflection that can leave a mark.
What we do is explore vision and perspective, not only as artistic themes, but as tools for dialogue with ourselves and with others. We have more questions than answers, and perhaps that’s the essence of our work: giving the observer the time and space to find their own answers, and allowing them the invaluable space they need to question themselves.
We are more interested in the process than the point of arrival: a small inner revolution, a moment of reflection that can leave a mark. We have more questions than answers … allowing the observer the invaluable space they need to question themselves.
