Gian Maria Tosatti's 'NOw/here' at Pirelli HangarBicocca

Gian Maria Tosatti, the 43-year-old Roman-born, Naples-based artist who represented Italy at the 59th Venice Biennale, presents a new exhibition at Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan, curated by Vicente Todolí. The show, titled 'NOw/here,' features two painting cycles: 'Ritratti' (2022) and 'NOw/here' (2023). 'Ritratti' consists of four large paintings in gold and rust on iron panels mounted on jointed tube structures, evoking Byzantine mosaics and early Italian panel painting, as well as experimental practices by artists like Jannis Kounellis, Gino De Dominicis, and Luciano Fabro. The 'NOw/here' cycle comprises ten large double-sided canvases (180x400x8 cm) hung from the ceiling, covered in graphite with white charcoal creating radiant points that suggest light. Tosatti and Todolí describe the works as 'mirrors' demanding physical and mental silence from viewers. The exhibition also features a lighting project by Pasquale Mari. During the press conference, Tosatti used terms like 'transcendence' and 'Europe in flames,' referencing his generation of artists breaking free from a dark historical period. The catalog, to be published after the show, will include texts by Anselm Kiefer and Eugenio Viola. Tosatti is also artistic director of the Quadriennale di Roma (2021-2024).