Magazzino Italian Art Reactivates Piero Manzoni's Magical Base, Turning Visitors into Artworks

Magazzino Italian Art in Cold Spring, New York, is reactivating Piero Manzoni's 1961 conceptual work Magical Base on April 10 and 11. Visitors can become artworks by standing on a wooden pedestal and receiving photographic documentation, though without the certificates of authenticity Manzoni issued for his Living Sculptures. The activation occurs within the exhibition 'Piero Manzoni: Total Space,' on view through June 29, 2026. British violinist Daisy Jopling will perform from the pedestal at 3 p.m. on April 11. Manzoni's original Magical Base debuted in Milan in 1961, two years before his death, challenging notions of art's permanence and the art market's valuation of the artist's hand. The exhibition also features Manzoni's Achromes from the late 1950s, made from materials like fur and bread, alongside two unrealized works donated to Magazzino: Phosphorescent Room and Hairy Room. These installations, though uncertified, create compelling photo opportunities. Manzoni's practice, including works like Artist's Shit (1961) where he canned his excrement valued at gold's price, blurred boundaries between object and viewer, anticipating Actionist art and critiquing artistic authorship.