Mazzoleni is pleased to present Gli occhi della Scultura (The Eyes of Sculpture), a personal exhibition by Salvatore Astore (San Pancrazio Salentino, 1957) taking place at the Turin gallery for the first time. This new exhibition project marks the natural evolution of the plurennial collaboration between Mazzoleni and the artist, which culminated last autumn with the installation of the public artwork Anatomia Umana (Human Anatomy) in Corso Galileo Ferraris in front of the Mastio della Cittadella di Torino. The five-metre-high, stainless steel sculptural group was donated by Mazzoleni to the city of Turin.
The title of the exhibition follows the path initiated by Anatomia Umana, re-establishing its semantic relevance and thematic punctuality, as outlined in the critical text by Elena Pontiggia, which was included in the homonymous volume published last November, along with texts by Astore and the art historian Francesco Poli.
Since the 1980s, Astore's practice has been defined as 'organic minimalism.' Topics such as matter, weight, shape, emptiness, and fullness are at the heart of his research. This entails a sensitive analysis of forms "that are not original, but which are of primary origins, essential and primary insofar as they have been inscribed in the logic of organic structures" (F. Poli). The atmosphere of his oeuvre is ancestral, with references spanning from fossils, prehistoric megaliths, human and animal organic forms to metals–especially steel and, most recently, bronze – relating to the industrial and post-industrial city of Turin. "The more archetypical and pure the shape, the more the others may subjectivise it and make it their own in different ways," says the artist. His works speak broadly and deeply of humankind and its relationship with the world - it is no coincidence that Anatomia Umana is a tribute to Leonardo Da Vinci. Astore's presences are latent forms within our genetic memory that naturally 'sprout' and evolve in the mind. Astore's forty-year-long research has led to a language that is structured and formal, yet always evolving.
The show is an occasion for the viewer to experience an aspect widely explored by Astore, which is the scale of the works in relation to the surrounding space. Grande calotta (Large Skull Cap)–an iconic 1988 work in glazed, welded stainless steel–opens the show. The wall-mounted sculpture dimensionally challenges the space, dominating the entire wall. In the following room, a site-specific environmental work challenges the viewer: here the 'eye of sculpture' opens wide, growing in scale along with the proportions of the room. The viewer can consequently cross a physical threshold: 'entrance-crossing-exit', and vice versa.
The exhibition continues in the so-called 'fireplace room', where a smaller-scale group of new bronze sculptures is presented on a large white base, as if it was a drawing sheet. The use of a classic and recognisable material such as bronze–a material used by Astore for the first time–is here employed in reference to its plastic and chromatic features. Compared to other recent works, these pieces showcase evolved forms and expanded hollow areas towards a 'lightening of the matter.'
In the same room are exhibited Sconfinamenti (Trespassings), a series of new graphite and oil on paper drawings, where the recognisable iconology of the 'skull cap' is developed with great freedom of sign. Astore experiments with the infinite possibilities of the form to rewrite a personal idea of space and time. The lines intersect, coagulate, and expand until they saturate the two- dimensional space and guide the viewer towards the depths of the matter.The exhibition closes with a room dedicated to Sutura e forma (2019) (Suture and Form) and a space where Astore meets Massimo Vitali, whose solo exhibition is concurrently held at Mazzoleni.
Press release courtesy Mazzoleni.
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