Daniela Comani's 212-novel collage at Studio G7, Bologna

Daniela Comani's exhibition 'The Beginning The End' at Studio G7 in Bologna (2020-2021) presents a text-collage made from the first and last sentences of 212 novels, reassembled into two new narratives. The project, started in 2014, uses books from her personal library, libraries, and friends' shelves, focusing on works where gender reversal in titles is possible (e.g., 'La straniera' from 'Lo straniero'). The installation includes a double-sided book, a diptych of the two texts, and a large print (220x390cm) showing all 424 archive cards in three languages. Comani discusses her relationship with books, the influence of Kenneth Goldsmith's 'Uncreative Writing' and Amanda Gorman's speech poetry, and the broader cultural shift toward written communication via smartphones and social media. She cites Herta Müller's word collages and the exhibition 'Political Affairs – Language is not innocent' (Kunstverein in Hamburg, 2019) as inspirations. The work is described as an 'anti-opera' containing multiple galaxies of fiction, creating an authorial self-portrait through borrowed phrases.