Pino Boresta's Clandestine Street Art Finally Exhibited at MAAM

After thirty years of clandestine activity, Italian artist Pino Boresta has had his first official museum exhibition of his S.S.R. (Segnale Stradale Rettificato) works at the MAAM (Museo dell'Altro e dell'Altrove) in Rome, as part of the group show "Ingombri / l'Altro e altrove." Boresta's practice involves modifying street signs, electoral posters, and urban documents with his own face, inspired by Situationist détournement. His M.E.R.d.A. (Manifesti Elettorali Rettificati da Asporto) project, started in 1996, targets electoral posters, notably intervening on Vittorio Sgarbi's face during the 1999 Venice Biennale. The exhibition features only some of the 500 works from the MAAM collection, alongside artists such as Giovanni Albanese, Krzystof M. Bednarski, Paolo Buggiani, and others. Boresta's work has been supported by gallerist Rossella Alessandrucci of Bianco Contemporaneo and Macro Asilo director Giorgio de Finis. The artist cites Peter Kennard's quote "Bisogna contrattaccare aggredendo i loro occhi" (We must counterattack by attacking their eyes) as a guiding principle for his micro-resistance against consumerism and politics. Boresta's M.E.R. project was particularly noted at the 1999 Venice Biennale when he modified Vittorio Sgarbi's glasses. His works have been auctioned at Artcurial Paris in 2001. The artist lives in Segni, near Rome.