Eliseo Mattiacci's Gong at Forte Belvedere: A Cosmic Sculpture Survey

A major retrospective of Eliseo Mattiacci, titled Gong, opened at Forte Belvedere in Florence in July 2018. Curated by Sergio Risaliti in collaboration with Studio Eliseo Mattiacci, the exhibition features ten outdoor corten steel sculptures in the fort's gardens, including Vie del Cielo (1995), Colpo di Gong (1993), and Equilibri precari quasi impossibili (1991). Inside, sixty drawings are displayed for the first time, tracing Mattiacci's evolution from 1970s performance studies to cosmic-astronomical works like Predisporsi ad un capolavoro cosmico-astronomico (1981-82) and Corpi Celesti (2005-2015). Historical works such as Trucioli e calamita (1968-69) and the installation Recupero di un mito (last shown in 1971 at Galleria L'Attico) are also included. The exhibition extends to Museo del Novecento, where Per Cornelia (1985), Occhio del cielo (1985), and the video Richiami (1972) are on view. Mattiacci expressed a desire to launch a sculpture into orbit. The show follows previous Forte Belvedere exhibitions of Giuseppe Penone, Antony Gormley, and Jan Fabre.