Giovanni Anselmo retrospective at MAXXI explores tension and the essential

A personal recollection of Giovanni Anselmo (Borgofranco d'Ivrea, 1934 – Turin, 2023) ties together two exhibitions: his 2013 solo show at the Conventino di Monteciccardo, part of the Memoriale dal Convento cycle, and the current retrospective "Oltre l'Orizzonte" at MAXXI, curated by Gloria Moure. The MAXXI show features about thirty key works, starting from "La mia ombra verso l'infinita dalla cima dello Stromboli durante l'alba del 16 agosto 1965." Anselmo's practice centers on equilibrium, mass, and energy, with pieces like "Senza titolo" (1967) where a transparent perspex sheet is held in tension by an iron rod. Jean-Christophe Ammann noted that the material's transparency visualizes the energy sustaining the work. The artist's own words describe the exhibition: "where particulars meet / partaking in the action of the Whole / the suspended stone stands thanks to its own weight / color lifts the stone and the stone lifts color / color and stone lift the canvas / grays lighten / the magnetic needle of the east orients itself / lettuce is always fresh / torsion remains alive / transparency arches and holds / sea sponge breathes / ultramarine directs / one enters the work / the invisible manifests."