The Istituto Italiano di Cultura presents 'Tracce/Huellas', an ambitious exhibition that traces five decades of Italian contemporary art
The Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Madrid, in collaboration with the Giorgio Persano gallery and under the auspices of the Italian Embassy, opens the exhibition Tracce/Huellas. Works by the Giorgio Persano Gallery 1971 -2021.
The exhibition, which occupies three rooms of the Istituto, begins with a rigorous selection of "multiple" works produced by the Giorgio Persano gallery in the 1970s, when the artists of arte povera (poor art) gravitated around Turin, with an attempt to democratise the work of art and make it more inclusive.
Works by Giovanni Anselmo, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Giulio Paolini, Giuseppe Penone, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Salvo and Gilberto Zorio belong to this period. The visit continues with works from 1975 onwards by Mario Merz, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Marco Bagnoli, Nicola De Maria, Marco Gastini, Alfredo Romano, Nunzio, Jannis Kounellis and Michelangelo Pistoletto. Giorgio Persano has actively collaborated with some of the leading artists of contemporary Italian art, creating important shared projects, designed both for the gallery spaces and for Italian and international institutions.
At the end of the route, representing new energies and directions, are younger artists: Paolo Cirio, Lina Fucà and Alessandro Sciaraffa, whose research - ranging from the dynamics of the information society to social commitment, passing through the intersections between sound, technology and nature - demonstrates the gallery's commitment and willingness to experiment and innovate.
"This extraordinary exhibition, says Marialuisa Pappalardo, director of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Madrid, is presented on the occasion of ARCOmadrid 2022. The fair has chosen the Italian gallery Giorgio Persano, for its unique trajectory in the international art scene, to celebrate its 40th Anniversary (+1). Once again, ARCOmadrid and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura meet in the promotion of contemporary art. Since its first edition, the Istituto has supported the fair, presenting Italian artists from different generations and movements, from arte povera or transvanguardia to the latest artistic trends of today, thus favouring dialogue with the art world in Spain".
She continues: "We are grateful to Giorgio Persano for having chosen the rooms of the Institute to host an exhibition that represents a unique opportunity to get to know Italian artists who have marked a milestone in the history of international contemporary art".
Giorgio Persano, curator, explains: "I am grateful to the director Marialuisa Pappalardo for inviting me to the Istituto Italiano di Cultura to present the exhibition Tracce/Huellas, giving me the opportunity to look at some of the most important moments in my work". He adds: "The exhibition begins in the 1970s with some examples of 'multiple' works that I produced with the arte povera artists who lived in Turin in those years. In addition to these 'multiple' works, which should not be considered simple editions, the exhibition includes particularly important works by artists with whom I have collaborated over the years, exhibiting both in my own spaces and in public and private institutions, in Italy and abroad. The exhibition concludes with three young artists who, while pursuing very different studies, represent for me a stimulus for ongoing research and projection into the future. I have therefore welcomed with enthusiasm and gratitude the invitation of the Istituto, whose great commitment to promoting our culture in Spain I admire and esteem".
Artists
Giovanni Anselmo, Marco Bagnoli, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Paolo Cirio, Nicola De Maria, Lina Fucà, Marco Gastini, Jannis Kounellis, Mario Merz, Nunzio, Giulio Paolini, Giuseppe Penone, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Alfredo Romano, Salvo, Alessandro Sciaraffa, Michele Zaza, Gilberto Zorio.
