Italiana 01
GALERIE DAVIDE DI MAGGIO, BERLIN

Works by Alighiero Boetti, Giuseppe Penone, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Mario Merz, Giulio Paolini, Emilio Prini, Jannis Kounellis, Luciano Fabro and Marisa Merz.

These artists seem to share a refusal of the intellectual superstructures that vitiate the artistic process, and a desire to recover the authentic value of the creative project, that has made them abandon the materials ennobled by traditional art in favor of a free use of any element taken from everyday life.  Apart from being some of the leading figures of the Arte Povera movement, that gained momentum in Italy in the late Sixties, these artists seem to share a refusal of the intellectual superstructures that vitiate the artistic process, and a desire to recover the authentic value of the creative project, that has made them abandon the materials ennobled by traditional art in favor of a free use of any element taken from everyday life. The goal is to inspire new ideas on art, to express new reflections.
The main characteristics that made these artists close relatives of the other conceptual experiences of their time, as Pop Art, Minimalism and Land Art, were the artistic importance attributed to the moment of conception and realization of the work, the attention dedicated to utilitarian objects, the use of performances to make the spectators play an active part, and the interventions on the landscape, that by no means excluded a deep respect for it.
The exhibits offer a comprehensive overview of this development; they range from 'Everything' by Alighiero Boetti, an embroidery from 1983 measuring 275 x 240 cm, to 'Tree' by Giuseppe Penone from 1969 that measures 8.60 meters, to 'Bulb' from 1968, by Michelangelo Pistoletto, painted film applied to stainless steel, measuring 212 x 240 cm, also featuring 'Waterproof' by Mario Merzo from 1966-67 of variable dimensions and 'Idem' from 1972 by Giulio Paolini, 39 elements measuring 30 x 20 cm, tempera on primed canvas, to the work by Emilio Prini, 'Falling from a height' in lead, from 1969 and Kounellis' piece 'Untitled' from 1986, iron, ink on paper, painting and fire measuring 200 x 180 x 10 cm, Luciano Fabro's 'Basta la vista I', from 1988 in iron and sheet metal, measuring 210 x 120 x 5 cm, and the recent work by Marisa Merz 'Untitled' from 2004, mixed technique on paper and onionskin, wood, plywood, measuring 159 x 126 x 22 cm.
The exhibition features a catalogue with a preface by architect Massimiliano Fuksas; it will be the first of a series, that aims to offer an exhaustive overview of Italian art from the second half of the Twentieth century until our days.
Catalogue published by Galerie Davide Di Maggio,  Mudimadue with text by Massimiliano Fuksas is available at the gallery.

Galerie Davide Di Maggio - Mudimadue
Sophienstrasse 21 - Berlin
Opening hours: from Tuesday to Saturday, from noon to 6 PM.