Arcangelo Sassolino’s Air-Powered Sculptures Test Physical Limits at Atipografia

Arcangelo Sassolino (b. 1967, Montecchio Maggiore, Vicenza) presents a solo exhibition at the newly renovated spaces of Atipografia in Arzignano, Italy. The show features works that use air as a sculptural medium, including the outdoor installation 'Il vuoto senza misura' (2022), which employs a giant fan capable of generating wind up to Force 12 on the Beaufort scale. Inside, 'Anche sì anche no' (2022) balances a 300-kilogram anvil on a glass plate that bends under the weight, while 'Newton dice che…' (2021) stacks vertical glass sheets held by a clamp at the threshold of shattering. Both glass works use tempered glass treated with cold air jets. Curator Ilaria Bernardi, who is also authoring a monograph on the artist, notes that air—as an invisible yet present force—is the central subject of the exhibition. The exhibition marks the expansion of Atipografia, founded in 2014 by Elena Dal Molin, which will soon double its scope to include a gallery. Sassolino previously gained attention for his fire- and water-based installation at the Malta Pavilion of the Venice Biennale.