Aldo Mondino's Oriental Passions on View in Padua

NP-ArtLab in Padua presents 'Souk Mondano', a homage to Aldo Mondino (Turin, 1938–2005). Curated by Neri Pagnan in collaboration with the Archivio Aldo Mondino and Galleria Umberto Benappi of Turin, the exhibition traces the artist's production infused with Eastern influences. The installation recreates part of Mondino's experience at the 45th Venice Biennale, curated by Achille Bonito Oliva in 1993. Mondino's practice never adhered to specific groups or styles, but the show's title plays on his characteristic wordplay: 'Mondano – Mondino' echoes his verbal-visual puns like 'Jim Dine – Mon Dine'. The exhibition assembles material notes from his travels to the East—from Morocco to Palestine—into a traditional Arab souk setting. Works include 'Tappeti stesi' (1980), inspired by a visual distortion when Mondino, walking in Tangier, mistook paint drips on a panel for an Arab carpet. Also on view are 'Dervisci' (1999), Turkish dancers on linoleum, playfully called 'Turcate', and 'local portraits' where Mondino captures merchants of Istanbul with bold color strokes.