Luciano Fabro's sparse works return after decades at Christian Stein

Galleria Christian Stein in Milan is exhibiting a rare selection of historical works by Luciano Fabro (Turin, 1936 – Milan, 2007), many unseen for decades. The show centers on three pieces that embody Fabro's critique of minimalism's reduction of meaning. "Quid nihil nisi minus" (1969), first shown at Galleria La Salita, features a lapidary inscription polemicizing against the trend of subtraction in art. "AR" (1990) consists of two large cloth panels, previously displayed flat, now crumpled and twisted into the titular letters, with Rorschach-like stains hidden in folds, evoking the ancient Indo-European root for art. "Il giorno mi pesa sulla notte II" (1994-96) comprises two polished black marble cylinders supporting a rough onyx block, the cylinders' white dots and circular grooves suggesting rolled-up star maps weighed down by daily life. Curator Sergio Risaliti describes the trio as a rebus of images and words, with a presocratic, primordial quality, quoting Fabro's fight against "death by disharmony or regression." The exhibition runs through late 2024.