Antonia Jannone reopens her gallery but with closed number

In Milan, phase two for bars and restaurants has begun. Hairdressers and beauticians are restarting their activity. And, while waiting for the reorganisation of cinemas and theatres, galleries and museums are also starting their first technical tests of living together with the Covid-19. Antonia Jannone, after two and a half months of stopping, reopened (last night virtually and today in person) the wooden door of her gallery overlooking Corso Garibaldi, normally the epicentre of the Milanese nightlife. He is thus preparing to welcome the public again, by appointment or a few at a time, in the rooms and courtyard of the typical railing house that houses her gallery, founded in 1977 and specialised in drawings and works by architects and designers. On show, a selection of paintings and small sculptures by the Catalan artist Ramon Enrich, "landscapes and metaphysical architecture that tell of a suspended time that is as topical as ever," explains as she tells us what she is expecting from this period and how she spent these two months alone.

Online opening and visits by appointment: what will it be like to go to exhibitions in “phase two”?
It seems to me that we are all still a bit puzzled and worried, I think that the public will not miss it, but they will all come in a piecemeal way. I don't see any superficiality: everyone is careful and wearing masks. In this area, everything is still very quiet and controlled. Mine is an experiment: I imagine that the visitors will stay less. The biggest change for my gallery will be not being able to make the opening. Usually 80-100 people would show up: that will no longer exist.

What security measures have you taken?
Gel to wash your hands at the entrance and a small supply of masks, for those who forget it.

How do you plan to attract the public?
I’ve sent a postcard and I’ll send another one in a while. Unfortunately, the artist won’t be coming to Italy, but we shot a trailer of the exhibition to try to involve people.

How did you spend this lockdown period?
Always in Milan, mostly locked down. I worked in the gallery, I tidied up, I prepared this exhibition and the next one that will open in September. Of course, there were also bad moods, because of this sacrificed and limited period: I felt robbed of my time, of a life of relationships, affections and friendship. Nobody likes to be stuck in a box, to feel worried and, at times, even terrified.

What did you miss the most?
Apart from affection – my daughter and grandchildren – I have missed the sense of freedom. I had to be careful what I was doing. The emptiness, on the other hand, was a discovery. An empty, clean, silent Milan was a privileged situation. I discovered the beauty of a city that can never be seen, except for mid-August. I believe that human relations will change. It has already happened to me a couple of times: people I know well preferred to keep their distance. On the other hand, I made friends with two blackbirds. Since I have prepared a tub full of water in the yard, they come to visit me every day to take a bath. I even used their chirping as the soundtrack to the exhibition video.

What do the works of Ramon Enrich tell us?
They are small metaphysical landscapes, attractive, serene, silent and poetic. After this period of forced closure, we feel more than ever the desire and need for beauty.