Italian poet and artist Nanni Balestrini dies at 84

Nanni Balestrini, a central figure in Italian neo-avant-garde poetry and visual art, has died. The news was announced by his publisher DeriveApprodi on Facebook. Born in Milan in 1935, Balestrini was a member of the Novissimi and Gruppo '63. He wrote novels such as Tristano (1966), Ma noi facciamone un'altra (1968), and Elettra (2001). His last solo exhibition, Vogliamo tutto, was held in 2018 at Palazzo Ducale di Massa. A group show La Lingua Tagliata, featuring Balestrini alongside Gianni Pettena and Gian Emilio Simonetti, is ongoing at Galleria Laura Bulian in Milan. He participated in ArtVerona's Chi Utopia mangia le mele and the 1993 Venice Biennale. His film Tristanoil was presented at documenta 13 in Kassel in 2012. Balestrini co-founded the magazine Alfabeta (later Alfabeta2) with Umberto Eco, Gillo Dorfles, Edoardo Sanguineti, and Achille Bonito Oliva. Tributes came from friends and colleagues including Gianluigi Ricuperati, Doppiozero, Maria Teresa Carbone, Teresa Carnevale, Gino Di Maggio, Achille Bonito Oliva, and Museion director Letizia Ragaglia. Museion in Bolzano will present his work in the upcoming exhibition Intermedia. Archivio di Nuova Scrittura.