Piero Gilardi's Role in 'Op Losse Schroeven' and 'When Attitudes Become Form'

In a 2008 interview, Piero Gilardi recounts his involvement in two landmark 1969 exhibitions: 'Op Losse Schroeven' at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and 'When Attitudes Become Form' at Kunsthalle Bern. Gilardi acted as a consultant, suggesting artists and writing catalogue essays, though his text for the latter was withdrawn due to conflict with curator Harald Szeemann over the inclusion of Leo Castelli's artists and Philip Morris sponsorship. Gilardi advocated for 'temporary artistic communities' where artists collectively decide exhibition structure. He had previously co-founded the Deposito D'Arte Presente (DDP) in Turin (1967-69), an alternative space with Michelangelo Pistoletto and Mario Merz, where works could be modified in situ. His travels in 1967-68 created a network of artists including Eva Hesse, Bruce Nauman, Joseph Beuys, and Richard Long. Gilardi's 'Microemotive art' concept and his essay 'Primary Energy and the "Microemotive Artists"' (Arts Magazine, 1968) framed his relational practice. He also participated in the 1968 Amalfi festival 'Arte Povera + Azioni Povere', organized by Marcello Rumma, which emphasized site-specific works and social interaction. After 1969, Gilardi shifted to anti-psychiatry activism, founding an atelier for free expression in a Turin asylum and staging theatrical actions inspired by Augusto Boal.