In the International panorama, American artist Matthew Barney represents the image of original artist who, crossing different cultural ambits, creates an artistic language that is transversal and unique in its kind.
His conceptual and aesthetic poetics combine fragments of all the mythologies produced in the history of humanity, ranging from the most classical kind, to the most anomalous and reaching the most contemporary, giving life to a great new cosmogony, which is omnivorous and hybrid.
Matthew Barney is the one who best embodies the video artist of the Nineties, thanks to his ability to elaborate his own visionary mythology, with a series of films, the Cremaster epic, and becoming in a year an actual object of cult.
His films are extraordinary art videos which touch different genres and in their long elaboration interact with the other Arts. Indeed, his films give life to works of photography, architecture, design, sculpture and fashion, which then become independent. 
His most famous work is definitely Cremaster, the epic saga of the “cremaster muscle” divided into five episodes, which did not come out in numerical progression, but were given the following order by the artist: Cremaster 4 (1994), Cremaster 1 (1995), Cremaster 5 (1997), Cremaster 2 (1999), Cremaster 3 (2002). A rather special numerical sequence, 4-1-5-2-3, which contains a symmetry built around the number five placed in central position, and which results the sum of the numerical pairs to the right and to the left, but also corresponds to the classical division of the acts in ancient Greek tragedies. 
After a journey between the fairies of the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea (Cremaster 4), a surreal musical filmed on a football field (Cremaster 1), a melancholic film set in Budapest (Cremaster 5) and a sort of gothic western (Cremaster 2), in the third series, central point of the saga, Matthew Barney stages a sort of horror-thriller with some gangsters.
If you are fascinated by Matthew Barney’s figure you cannot miss out on his works exhibited for the first time in Turin at the Merz Foundation. “Matthew Barney. Contemporary Mythologies”, curated by Olga Gambari, is a project entirely dedicated to this video-artist that will be held until the 11th January 2009. An exceptional event that will be articulated in four moments. Centred around the exhibition at the Merz Foundation there will be a review of his films at the Museo Nazionale del Cinema, conferences in collaboration with the Department  of Philosophy at the University of Turin and a workshop with the students of the Accademia Albertina and the students of the Department of Philosophy of the University of Turin.
The artist, who will attend all the events, will be confronted with the space of the Merz Foundation and with the Mario Merz’s permanent works. The objective is to create a site-specific installation, where the architectonic and historical aspect of this ex-industrial Lancia establishment, like Merz’s works and personality, can communicate with an eclectic artist like Barney.
A large central installation will contain five monitors where the films of the Cremaster series will be projected simultaneously. A long series of other monitors positioned along the perimeter of the Foundation will propose the chapters of the “Drawing Restraint” series, a work in progress which actually started with his degree dissertation, and various real drawings (Drawing 15) inserted in sculpture showcases. “But the exhibition is not everything – Gambari explained – Matthew Barney has not only been asked to display his works, according to the typical “hit and run” modality, but to engage in a real interaction with the city, with the staff and with the art audience […] is an exceptional participation for a mythical figure of the world of art and not only”.
Indeed, not only: ex football player, ex-model brought up in Boise (Idaho), Barney discovers art through his mother. His intention to study medicine changes as soon as he reaches Yale: he graduates in art in 1989. Two years later in New York he meets Barbara Gladstone, one of the most powerful gallery owners in the world, who falls in love with his work, makes him “her own” artist, supporting also the production of his very expensive and elaborated videos and transforming c’s figure into an authentic media phenomenon.

From 31st October 2008 to 11th January 2009
MATTHEW BARNEY. CONTEMPORARY MYTHOLOGIES
At the Merz Foundation
via Limone 24. 10141 Turin
Tel. 011.19719437
Mail: info@fondazionemerz.org
Internet: http://fondazionemerz.org
Opening times: Tuesday – Sunday from 11.00 am to 7.00 pm
Tickets:  Full 5 euros; Reduced 3,50 euros.