Marco Di Giovanni's Rooted Installation at Milan's Oldest Bookshop

Milan's Libreria Bocca, Italy's oldest bookshop (founded in the early 18th century), is celebrating its 250th anniversary with a contemporary art installation by Marco Di Giovanni in its window display. Titled "Radicata," the exhibition curated by Paolo Repetto features three new works: a large piece (about four meters high) made of 24 agendas of three different sizes arranged as an intertwining vine, "Enciclopedia della donna," and "Impossibile catalogo di Gino De Dominicis" with the artist's name written in gold thread. Di Giovanni describes the installation as a metaphor for the bookshop's resilience against powerful luxury brands surrounding it in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. The bookshop, now run by the Lodetti family since the late 1970s, specializes in art texts and has hosted cultural events. It has a storied publishing history including authors like Gioberti, Pellico, Nietzsche, and Kierkegaard, with works cited by Freud. The installation is visible until May 1.