PIRAINO DOG DAYS

Every evening we locked ourselves in our little castle.

People kept knocking on the door.

But this was for us.

The bats, rats and crazy monkeys.

PIRAINO DOG DAYS is a very personal series I photographed in Piraino, Sicily. It tells the story of David and Bambi, who met for the first time in the Italian village. They immediately felt a strong bond: two wild horses meeting at the end of Europe. We spent two weeks together, sharing a room with four persons. We were there to shoot a small movie, the whole team was in that same building. Because we were the last to arrive, no one was willing to give up or share their more spacious rooms. After work we came back to our room, locked ourselves in our little castle and shared wonderful moments together, creating our own little secret world. People kept knocking on the door, but this was for us! It was one of these summers you longed to feel again. A summer that takes you far away from the life you are going to have, the life that you are willing to live. You end up asking yourself, why did you never move to Sicily.

I lay on the bed and watch her dance.

My muse, my indian spirit. Then she turns

over to me asking if I want to join her.

I don't understand.

She kisses me.

I taste the pill on her tongue.

I feel safe.

CV – Alexander Basile

Born 1981 in Cologne. Lives and works in Cologne, Germany.

2009 – 2013 studied at Academy of Media Arts Cologne with Prof. Johannes

Wohnseifer & Prof. Mischa Kuball. Degree with distinction.

The artist concerns himself with questions around representation of medial culture.

This approach is addressed in various exhibitions, lecture performances and book

publications. In 2012 he has been awarded with the Media Art Prize NRW Germany

for Young Artists and in 2014 with the Rhein Silver Award at the New talents Biennale.

Recently he was nominated for the Unseen Dummy Award 2015.

upcoming events/ exhibitions

2016 the Buero - Solo Show - Maschinenhaus, Essen, GER

awards

2015 short listed — Unseen Dummy Award, Amsterdam

2014 Rhine Silver Award – New Talents Biennale Cologne

2013 RheinEnergie Stiftung – funding

ARS VIVA Preis – nomination

2012 Media art prize of NRW Germany for young artists

Plattform, Fotomuseum Winterthur – nomination

2008 German photo book award – winning title

German photo book award – selected title

single exhibitions

2015 a possible scenario – UNSEEN photo fair, Amsterdam

2014 a trustful invitation – UNSEEN photo fair, Amsterdam

group exhibitions (selection)

2015 Die Stadt die es nicht gibt – City Leaks Festival, Cologne

2014 DIE AUSSTELLUNG – KIT, Kunsthalle, Duesseldorf

Hayy - A Self-Taught Musical – Künstlerverein Malkasten, Düsseldorf

2013 Emerging Sculpture 4 – Videonale 13 Parcours, Kunstmuseum, Bonn

Das Blut an meinen Händen – Kunstverein Ludwigsburg

2012 Plattform – Fotomuseum Winterthur, Winterthur

Emerging Sculpture 4, Sechs Minus – Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn

Klaerendes Gespraech, Powerplay – Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe

Fotografie ist im besten Fall eine gut gemeinte Illusion – Deuxpiece, Basel

2011 VOM PHOTO – curatorial project, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn

So lange Niemand –Lecture Performance – Museum Ludwig, Cologne

book publications

2014 DIE AUSSTELLUNG – Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König

Hayy – A Self-Taught Musical – Revolver Verlag

2013 Emerging Sculptures – Alexander Basile, Spontan Verlag

2011 VOM PHOTO – catalog, Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther Koenig

2010 a social sculpture for the unsocial type – Alv & Basile, Hellozine

wish you were here – Sao Paulo Diaries – Barto & Basile, self published

2007 Dirt Ollies – Verlag fuer bildschoene Buecher Berlin

Oldschool & Newschool – Verlag fuer bildschoene Buecher Berlin

curatorial projects/ lecture performances

2015 a fistful of dollars – Lecture Performance, Wallraf Richartz Museum, Cologne

2014 DIE AUSSTELLUNG – curator – group show, KIT – Duesseldorf

Photography Talks – Lecture –Kunsthistorisches Institut Universitaet Bonn

2013 VOM PHOTO – curator – photography & book workshop Goethe Institut Sofia

Go Photo – Lecture, The future of Photography, Schwanenhoefe, Duesseldorf

2012 VOM PHOTO – curator – Bundeskunsthalle Bonn

VOM PHOTO – curator – Photo Museum Thessaloniki

VOM PHOTO – curator – Museum For Contemporary Art Sofia

NYC.Cologne – curator – plan12- Architecture Biennale Cologne

collections

2014 Ministry of Economics, Duesseldorf

City of Cologne Art Collection

2012 Collection Fotomuseum Winterthur