Michelangelo Pistoletto

Michelangelo Pistoletto
01.04.2018 - 10.06.2018
Preview: 27.03.2018

This exhibition is curated by Björn Geldhof

In collaboration with GALLERIA CONTINUA, San Gimignano, Beijing, Les Moulins, Habana

Central to the exhibition is Pistoletto’s 2003 text "Terzo Paradiso" ("Third Paradise"), a manifesto for a harmonious future where nature and society coexist. "Third Paradise" states the social responsibility to seek a more sustainable world, "leading everything that is artificial; that is science and technology together with art; to give back life to Earth."

For his solo exhibition at YARAT, Pistoletto continues to use this ideology as the catalyst for new installations, which are presented in conversation with a selection of the artist’s early works. The notion of sustainability is further manifested through a series of educational programs focused on the methodology Pistoletto and his Foundation (Cittadellarte) developed for schoolchildren, including workshops for schoolchildren, young artists and a lecture series for university students. Taking place over the course of one year, this educational component will train local Azeri educators in schools across Azerbaijan to develop and expand upon the way children approach sustainability and creative processes.

The symbol of the "Third Paradise" can be seen throughout Pistoletto’s oeuvre—a reconfiguration of the mathematical infinity sign where three connecting circle are drawn. The outer circles represent nature and artifice, joined together by a larger circle representing a new humanity. Celebrated as a pioneer of Arte Povera, Pistoletto’s practice spans across painting, sculpture and performance. Since the 1960s the mirrored surface has been a recurring theme in the artist’s practice, exemplifying his interest in the performative whilst creating a space for self-reflection. Read more

Preview: March 27, 2018