Saint Joseph Patron Parish in collaboration with the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) is pleased to announce Kickstarting, a new public project in New York by artist Andrea Mastrovito.

Kickstarting is a project based on the interaction between sports and art. Using soccer balls and tempera in powder, Mastrovito together with one hundred children from Bushwick, Brooklyn will create a gigantic mural by kicking the soccer balls against the wall to inscribe marks, giving new life to the courtyard of Saint Joseph Patron Parish in Bushwick which, during the summer, will reopen as a playground.

The performance is open to the public and everyone is invited to participate.

Kickstarting represents a new step in Mastrovito’s work, which often unravels from the studio to public spaces in an open confrontation with audiences and communities. The large mural will represent all the dreams, desire and affections of the children who participated in a series of workshops Mastrovito held at the Saint Francis Cabrini School and at the Youth Center of the Parish this past March and April. Starting from children’s suggestions and drawings, Mastrovito has prepared life-sized stencils that will cover the walls of the courtyard during the performance. Once removed, they will unveil the final 300-foot long drawings, realized solely with the marks of the soccer balls on the walls. The frieze will become permanent for the forthcoming playground.

The artist would like to thank Saint Joseph Patron Parish for the opportunity to realize the project as well as the following sponsors: the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP), Cornell University, Michilli Inc. and Il Gufo.

The artist also thanks The Drawing Center, New York; The Italian Institute of Culture, La Fondazione, New York; the National Endowment for the Arts; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the New York City Council District 34.

Andrea Mastrovito is currently an artist-in-residence at the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP). He was born in Bergamo in 1978 where he also received his MFA in 2001 from Accademia Carrara di Belle Arti. He won the New York Prize, awarded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2007 and the Moroso Prize in 2012. He installed solo exhibitions in private galleries in Milan, Florence, Paris, Geneva, Brussels, and New York and his most recent public solo exhibitions include: At the End of the Line, GAMEC, Bergamo; La libertè guidant le peuple, Pavillon Blanc, Colomiers and Le Cinque Giornate, Museo del Novecento, Milan. His works have also been included in group exhibitions all across Europe and United States including: MAXXI National Museum of the 21st century and Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome; Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rovereto; Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester; B.P.S. 22, Charleroi; Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts, Lausanne and the Museum of Art and Design, New York.