Ismaele Nones: First Institutional Survey at MAC Lissone

The Museo d'Arte Contemporanea (MAC) in Lissone presents the first institutional solo exhibition of Ismaele Nones (born 1992, Trento), curated by Stefano Raimondi. The show surveys the artist's last four years of work, displaying about fifty works across all museum floors, from basement to second floor. Nones learned painting in his father's workshop, absorbing a vocabulary of color, form, and geometry that he now applies to themes of eros, struggle, trees, and animals, drawing on art historical references. The exhibition title, "A chi parlo quando parlo" (Who do I speak to when I speak), taken from a poem by Patrizia Cavalli, signals a quest for universal language rather than self-reference. Key works include "Riposare in pace a bordo piscina" (2023), which reinterprets Christ's deposition in an ordinary, profane setting; the triptych "Chiara confusione" (2023) with figures against natural or artificial backdrops; "Volevo fare il bagno ma c'era un pavone" (2020); "Leopardo in villa" (2021); and "I'm fine I'm just dying" (2024), contrasting human stillness with animal struggle. The installation integrates the museum's windows as display spaces, and Nones's works engage in dialogue with pieces from the MAC permanent collection by Karel Appel, Giorgio de Chirico, Piero Dorazio, Mario Schifano, and Antoni Tàpies. The exhibition underscores MAC's commitment to promoting emerging artists and positioning itself as a bridge between past and future.