Mimmo Paladino's Three-Site Milan Exhibition Explores Sign Language and Literature

Mimmo Paladino (born 1948, Paduli) is the subject of two exhibitions across three venues in Milan: at Museo del Novecento and the two spaces of Galleria Christian Stein in Milan and Pero. The Museo del Novecento show, 'Disegnare le parole: Mimmo Paladino tra arte e letteratura' curated by Giorgio Bacci, runs until September 4, 2016, and focuses on Paladino's book illustrations for works by Aeschylus, Dante, Joyce, Pavese, and Cervantes. At Galleria Christian Stein in Milan (until July 18, 2016) and Pero (until October 8, 2016), curated by Eduardo Cicelyn, the exhibition features a monumental wooden horse on the floor surrounded by the 'Corali' series (1992) dedicated to Giovanni Falcone and Giuseppe Borsellino. For the first time in 28 years, Paladino's 1988 Venice Biennale installation is re-staged in Pero, contrasting gold geometric symbols with dark metallic casts. The shows highlight Paladino's archaic, primitive sign language using essential colors (black, red, white, yellow, gold) and his Transavanguardia roots under Achille Bonito Oliva. The artist's graphic and calcographic work is also presented, including the film 'Quijote' (2006) starring Peppe Servillo and Lucio Dalla.