Barcelona Hosts First Spanish Monographic on Nanni Balestrini

The Palau de la Virreina in Barcelona presents "La violenza illustrata," the first monographic exhibition in Spain dedicated to Italian neo-avant-garde artist and writer Nanni Balestrini (1935–2019), a member of Gruppo 63. Curated by director Valentín Roma, the show runs until May 25 and spans four chronological sections, pairing visual works with literary productions and political propaganda from Balestrini's involvement with Potere Operaio and Autonomia Operaia. Highlights include 1960s collages made from newspaper clippings over reproductions, later works using plastic shopping bags and fabric (e.g., a project on Giorgione's Tempesta), and experimental computer-generated poetry (Tape Mark I and II, IBM 7070). The exhibition also features unpublished documents, encrypted correspondence between Balestrini (in exile in France) and Toni Negri (in prison), and the 24-minute video "Tristanoil" shown at Documenta 13. Organized with the Soprintendenza Archivistica e Bibliografica del Lazio, which holds Balestrini's archive in Rome, the show includes loans sourced with help from gallerist Michela Rizzo and writer Rossana Campo. Roma expressed hope the exhibition could travel to Italy.