Le don: 61 Artists Explore Gift's Ambiguities at Palazzo delle Papesse

The exhibition 'Le don. Offrande, hospitalité, piège' at Palazzo delle Papesse in Siena, Italy, from June 2 to September 23, 2001, brings together 61 artists and over 100 works to examine the multifaceted and ambiguous nature of gift-giving. Curated by Gianfranco Maraniello, Sergio Risaliti, and Antonio Somaini, the show highlights the dynamic relationships between artwork and viewer, donor and recipient, emphasizing a sensory rather than intellectual space. The accompanying catalog, edited by Antonio Somaini, includes essays by Dan Cameron, Achille Bonito Oliva, and Jean Baudrillard, exploring interpretations of the gift by Marcel Mauss, Jacques Derrida, Jean-Luc Marion, and Georges Bataille. The curators favor works that embody Bataille's theory of expenditure—gratuitous, excessive, and anti-utilitarian gestures. Notable pieces include Felix Gonzalez-Torres's candy spill, a pile of wrapped caramels available to the public, and Lara Favaretto's confetti-shooting cannon, both representing free and absolute gifts. Other artists such as Mona Hatoum, Carsten Höller, and Andreas Slominski address the gift as a treacherous act that indebts or annihilates the recipient. The exhibition was reviewed by Caroline Corbetta, translated from Italian by Julia Borsani.