Giovanna Brambilla's 'Mettere al mondo il mondo' Explores Birth Through Art

Giovanna Brambilla's book 'Mettere al mondo il mondo' (Vita e pensiero, Milan 2021) examines birth through art, from the prehistoric Venus of Willendorf to contemporary works by Joseph Beuys, JR, Vanessa Beecroft, Oliviero Toscani, Rineke Dijkstra, and Alberto Garutti. The volume features 19 entries on artworks dedicated to the beginning of life. The cover image is JR's giant photograph of Kikito, a one-year-old Mexican child, installed on the US-Mexico border wall built under Trump. Vanessa Beecroft's photo of Sudanese twins she attempted to adopt is also included. Alberto Garutti's public light installations that pulse at each birth in Bergamo, Rome, Ghent, Moscow, and Istanbul are discussed. Oliviero Toscani's photo of Giusy at first cry and Rineke Dijkstra's post-partum portraits of mothers with newborns are featured. The book's title borrows from Alighiero Boetti's work. Luca Dal Pozzolo wrote the review for Artribune.