Alfredo Pirri's 'Fare cose' at Fondazione Brodbeck, Catania

The Fondazione Brodbeck in Catania, Sicily, is hosting 'Fare cose', a major exhibition of works by Italian artist Alfredo Pirri (b. 1957, Cosenza). Curated by Cesare Biasini Selvaggi and Gianluca Collica, the show is a retrospective-like selection of pivotal projects from the artist's career, which began in the late 1980s. The venue, a former licorice factory restored 19 years ago by collector Paolo Brodbeck, provides a resonant industrial backdrop with its raw surfaces, concrete floors, and iron trusses. The exhibition unfolds across two pavilions: Padiglione 1 features works exploring light as pigment, including 'Alba/Tramonto' (2002-03), a horizontal plexiglass cylinder with abstract landscapes, and 'Ombra su ombra' (2003), a transparent parallelepiped with painted papers. Also on view are 'Il pensiero dell'alba' (1985), a large dark wooden disc, and two watercolors from the 'Acque' series (2007), first shown in Pesaro. Padiglione 2 presents nine watercolors from 'Di Luce e di Fango' (2021/23) and the installation 'Arie per Catania' (2024/26), featuring eight plexiglass sheets, feathers, a Murano glass sphere, and a mirror. The exhibition emphasizes Pirri's engagement with architecture, memory, and the social function of art, creating a dialogue between the works and the industrial site. The title 'Fare cose' (Doing Things) reflects the artist's unpretentious approach to creation. The show runs at the Fondazione Brodbeck in Catania.