ALIGHIERO BOETTI
Mazzoleni London is pleased to present an exhibition of works by Italian conceptual artist Alighiero Boetti from 5 June – 31 July 2015. Curated by Rinaldo Rossi and Corinna Turati, the exhibition re-creates Il Muro, a specific wall from Boetti's Piazza di Sant’Apollonia flat in Rome that the artist filled with a hang of objects he found inspiring. Displaying art and artefacts selected by Rinaldo Rossi - a friend, collaborator and long-time assistant of Boetti – the exhibition pays tribute to the artist and provides an intimate glimpse into his life through cards, unseen photographs, drawings, handwritten letters and found objects. Contextualising the artist’s work within the realms of his private life and giving insight into his thoughts, inspirations and curiosities, Il Muro adds to the appreciation of Boetti’s oeuvre. The exhibition presents a rare opportunity to view works from several important stages in the artist’s life, including many which have never before been publically exhibited. Alighiero Boetti, was born in Turin in 1940 and died in Rome in 1994. Boetti was a key member of the Arte Povera movement and is one of the most influential Italian artists of the twentieth century. Working in his hometown of Turin in the early 1960s, alongside young artists such as Luciano Fabro, Mario Merz, Giulio Paolini, and Michelangelo Pistoletto, Boetti used simple materials associated with the city’s growing industrial economy in radical new ways. He made work using postage stamps, biro pens and magazine covers and later became globally recognised for his colourful embroideries of world maps and iconic photographic self-portraits. The first Arte Povera artist to be acknowledged with a solo exhibition at Tate Modern (2012), Boetti continues to have a significant impact on younger artists today. SHOWN: Alighiero Boetti, Accanto al Pantheon, 1988, embroidery on fabric, 114 x 106 cm, Courtesy Mazzoleni London
