Grazia Varisco's 'Gentle Revolution' in Milan Retrospective

Palazzo Reale in Milan hosts a comprehensive retrospective of Grazia Varisco (b. 1937, Milan), titled 'Percorsi Contemporanei 1957-2022'. The exhibition traces her career from late 1950s 'Materici' works—incorporating fragments of reality—to her signature anti-representational, geometric, and kinetic art. Early highlights include the 'Tavole magnetiche' (1959-62), inviting viewer interaction, and 'Schemi luminosi variabili' (1962-69), transforming rooms into kaleidoscopes. The 1969 environment 'Dilatazione spazio-temporale di un percorso' is recreated. Series like 'Reticoli frangibili', 'Mercuriali', and 'Extrapagine' (from 1973) explore kinetic vision and book-as-sculpture. The 'Between' cycle (1973-81) features fence-like structures. From the mid-1970s, works like 'Meridiane' and 'Gnom-oni' take on architectural qualities, intersecting geometry with site. Later cycles include 'Fraktur' (1987) and 'Double' (2001). The show closes with two collage works made during pandemic isolation. Critic Stefano Castelli notes the exhibition is well-installed but suffers from overcrowding, typical of Palazzo Reale retrospectives.