pino pascali at fondazione prada
From March 28 to September 23, 2024, Fondazione Prada in Milan hosts a retrospective dedicated to Italian artist Pino Pascali. Curated by Mark Godfrey, the exhibition is divided into four sections spread across the three buildings of the Milan venue: the Podium, the Nord and the Sud galleries. The set design, conceived by 2×4, features forty-nine works by Pino Pascali, along with artworks by prominent post-war artists; photographs portraying Pascali with his works and a video.
Pino Pascali’s Innovative Approach to Sculpture
Born in Bari, Italy, in 1935, Pascali moved to Rome in 1955 to study painting and set design at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma. He worked as an assistant scenic designer in many television productions of the Italian broadcaster Rai. He also collaborated as a set and graphic designer with cinema and advertising companies. Pascali had his first solo show in 1965 at Galleria La Tartaruga in Rome, and tragically died in a motorcycle accident three years later, in 1968, the same year as his solo presentation at the Venice Art Biennale. Despite his short career, Pascali left an indelible mark on the art world. The exhibition at Fondazione Prada (find more here) aims to examine the enduring impact of Pascali’s innovative work, particularly his sculpture, which, over the last five decades, has had a substantial influence on several generations of artists and critics and continues to attract the growing attention of an international audience.
‘Pascali explored the relationship of sculpture and stage props, and contrasted sculpture with functional objects. Works that looked from a distance like readymades revealed themselves close-up to be constructed from found materials. Pascali thought about what a ‘fake’ or ‘feigned’ sculpture could be. He titled pieces as if they were solid masses, winking to his audiences who knew they were empty volumes. He used the natural elements of earth and water alongside construction materials like Eternit fiber cement panels and divided his seas and fields into units with repeated measurements. Pascali brought new consumer products and synthetic fabrics to the studio to fashion animals, traps, and bridges,’ Mark Godfrey writes in his exhibition catalog essay.
‘There is no doubt whatsoever as to the complexity of his approach to sculpture, and yet the genius and originality of his contribution lies somewhere else. Pascali is important today because he was an ‘exhibitionist’. […] Pascali recognized that the postwar artist had to devote as much of their energies to exhibition-making as to refining their work in the studio.’
Pascali’s Evolution: From Early Galleries to International Recognition
The first part of the exhibition, located on the ground and first floors of the Podium, focuses on Pino Pascali’s innovative exhibition techniques, recreating the environments of his past shows. Visitors can experience his unconventional displays from various galleries, including his early exhibitions at La Tartaruga and Sperone gallery, showcasing series like Armi and Animali. The second section explores Pascali’s use of natural and industrial materials, examining their origins, commercial use, and artistic significance. Key works such as Barca che affonda and L’Arco di Ulisse are presented alongside educational materials to aid in understanding Pascali’s experimentation. The third part highlights Pascali’s contributions to significant group exhibitions, showcasing his works alongside those of other prominent artists. In the Sud gallery, the fourth chapter focuses on photographs and videos capturing Pascali’s interaction with his sculptures, offering insight into his artistic process. Additionally, a conversation with curator Mark Godfrey and artist Peter Fischli, followed by a screening of the documentary Pino, will take place at Fondazione Prada’s Cinema Godard. An illustrated book accompanying the exhibition will feature contributions from various art experts and reprinted interviews and essays by notable art critics.
