Emilio Isgrò's cancellature at Tornabuoni Arte Roma

The exhibition 'Rosso Shakespeare' at Tornabuoni Arte Roma explores Emilio Isgrò's relationship between word and image. Isgrò, born in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto in 1937, began as a poet in the late 1950s with his first collection 'Fiere del Sud' reviewed by Pier Paolo Pasolini in 1957. While working as a journalist at Il Gazzettino editing Giovanni Comisso's articles, he conceived the idea of cancellation. His first cancellature appeared in 1964, carrying sociopolitical meaning in the early conceptual art climate. The show chronologically presents works from the 1970s like 'Sopra un fiore' (1971), 'E venne poi' (1971), 'Vitale' (1972), and 'Filippo' (1972), then expands with 2000s works dedicated to classics such as Homer's 'Odyssey' and Shakespeare's tragedies. The most scenic piece, 'Romeo e Giulietta' (2022), comprises 38 elements alternating red and black cancellations, while 'Othello' (2019) has 36 elements. 'Odysseus' (2018) uniquely forms a ship silhouette. Marco Bazzini's catalog text references Roland Barthes on the link between writing and erasing in French 'littérature'.