ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Giuseppe Caccavale's 'Istituto di traduzione' explores translation as artistic practice

publication · 2026-04-27

At Assab One in Milan, Giuseppe Caccavale unveiled his artist book titled 'Istituto di traduzione.' Released by Dante & Descartes, this volume serves as a research artifact, likened to a 'small archaeological site.' It features three texts related to spolvero drawing, alongside construction sites for the Triennale of Contemporary Art in Armenia and a glass construction project. The book showcases intricate drawings, such as a chalice, with Caccavale utilizing dust ink sourced from an inkwell crafted from shoe soles. He reminisces about the scents from his studies at Mount Athos. Additionally, the book includes facsimiles of Marco Caratozzolo's sheets for his Italian adaptation of Osip Mandelstam's 'The Morning of Acmeism,' culminating in a discourse on history that spans various disciplines.

Key facts

  • Giuseppe Caccavale's 'Istituto di traduzione' presented at Assab One, Milan
  • Published by Dante & Descartes, founded by Raimondo di Maio nearly 40 years ago
  • Book described as a research object and 'small archaeological site'
  • First section includes texts on spolvero drawing and two construction sites
  • One site for the Triennale of Contemporary Art in Armenia, another for a glass construction site
  • Features drawings of a Venetian gobelet chalice revealed through pages
  • Ink made from dust and shoe sole inkwell
  • Caccavale calls himself a 'worker of the path'
  • Includes facsimiles of Marco Caratozzolo's translation of Osip Mandelstam's 'The Morning of Acmeism'
  • Mandelstam died at 47 in late 1930s, victim of Stalin's purges
  • Caccavale references Tarkovsky, Zurlini, Rossellini, and Gioacchino Toma's painting
  • Book closes with reflection on art history written by the vanquished, quoting Alfonso Gatto

Entities

Artists

  • Giuseppe Caccavale
  • Osip Mandelstam
  • Marco Caratozzolo
  • Alfonso Gatto
  • Gioacchino Toma
  • Andrei Tarkovsky
  • Valerio Zurlini
  • Roberto Rossellini

Institutions

  • Assab One
  • Dante & Descartes
  • Triennale of Contemporary Art in Armenia

Locations

  • Afragola
  • Milan
  • Naples
  • Mount Athos
  • Armenia

Sources