Andreas Senoner's 'Transitory Bodies' at Museo Francesco Messina, Milan

Andreas Senoner, winner of the 2018 Cramum Prize, presents 'Transitory Bodies' at the Studio Museo Francesco Messina in Milan, on view until August 29, 2021. Curated by Sabino Maria Frassà, the exhibition features twenty sculptural works spanning the last three years of Senoner's research, displayed across four floors of the deconsecrated church of San Sisto, which houses Francesco Messina's collection. Senoner's work, primarily in wood, evolves from anthropomorphic forms (2018) toward geometric abstraction, with figures often having closed eyes or vacant stares. The exhibition explores themes of immobility and unease, with natural elements appearing parasitic rather than reassuring, as seen in works like 'Mask' (covered in pink feathers), 'Involucre' (a head invaded by lichens), and 'Transitory body' (a leg with one part corroded by holes). The display juxtaposes Senoner's contemporary pieces with Messina's early 20th-century works, creating unexpected perspectives without disrupting aesthetic continuity. Frassà notes that Senoner, after years in Florence, the United States, and Spain, has moved toward a progressive stripping away of matter, abandoning full-figure representation for isolated body parts, moving away from Val Gardena woodcarving traditions exemplified by Aron Demetz and Willy Verginer. The work 'Fear', featuring fingers pierced by thorns, serves as the exhibition's cover image, symbolizing hesitation before a vital impulse.