Pier Paolo Calzolari on His First All-Painting Show at Museo Madre

Pier Paolo Calzolari, born in Bologna in 1943, presents his first exhibition entirely devoted to painting, titled 'Painting as a butterfly,' at the Museo Madre in Naples. The show features previously unseen works from the 1960s to today, which Calzolari describes as 'convulsively pictorial' and parallel to his better-known minimal art. He explains that the exhibition originated from Achille Bonito Oliva's long-standing interest in his painting, proposed to Andrea Viliani. Calzolari had not intended to exhibit this private, parallel practice but was moved to see works he had not viewed in 45 years. Reflecting on his return to painting about a decade ago, he admits feeling paralyzed by the rediscovered palette. The artist recalls his 1972 exhibition at Lucio Amelio's Modern Art Agency and a 1977 show at Villa Pignatelli, both positive experiences. He discusses his 'philo-Oriental' sensibility, influenced by Venice as a gateway to the East, and notes that the show's title in English was chosen for its 'aerial weight.' Through his foundation, Calzolari advises young artists to 'invent a space of waiting and reflection' and to filter the market with patience and historical cynicism. He criticizes contemporary art as subject to propaganda and consumerism, comparing it to the grotesque macro-information of today. The exhibition runs at Museo Madre in Naples.