Joe La Placa

Interview by William Furlong

from Audio Arts Volume 7, Number 3, 1985

Transcript

William Furlong: Well now I’m in the Calozzi La Placa Gallery stand, talking to Joe La Placa. Joe what’s your response to the Fair so far?

Jo La Placa: The Fair has been very slow as a matter of fact. I have to say that I’m a little disappointed with the organisation and the people who have shown up at the Fair.

WF: How would you describe the work that you’re showing?

JLP: Basically the exhibition is entitled ‘Four Generations of Grand Masters and the Fashions of the Letter’. This corresponds to four generations of writers, four separate evolutions of the letters from the late sixties to the present time.

WF: What has the response been?

JLP: Basically people are a little astounded. We’ve been getting a sort of mixed extreme response. Either they like it very much or they don’t like it at all. Many people don’t really know that this movement is based on the idea of the evolution and liberation of the letter; the ability for the letter to serve as an attack mechanism in a world of a mass media society.

WF: And the artists in question are all quite young?

JLP: The range of the artists is from eighteen to thirty five years old.

WF: Have they come over here for this Fair?

JLP: We have one of our artists here, Shark, who did a mural outside the Fair.