The Italian Consulate General in London presents
“Lesson One”, Maurizio Anzeri
Curated by Francesca Filippini Pinto
Open until 28 March, Monday – Friday, 10m to 5pm
Comprising a series of site-specific works as well as significant pieces from his artistic output over the past few years, “Lesson One” is a major presentation of works by London-based, Italian artist Maurizio Anzeri. Anzeri’s practice questions the traditional boundaries between sculpture, painting, photography and drawing, exploring the complex relationships between the two and the three-dimensional, the found image and personal mythology, abstraction and figuration. A sense of melancholic longing seems to permeate his world, which is often populated by forms referencing the human body in all its polymorphous manifestations. The images seem to be caught in a journey between their graphic origins and a possible place in their surrounding world, representing the archetypal and the fantastical in different stages of becoming. The ambiguity of their status is further enhanced by the unorthodox use of materials and techniques, ranging from photography to traditional craft techniques, emphasising his exploration of the limits – and potentials – of mark making and representation.
The series of mix media works executed on world maps and photographic landscapes questions the notions of space, belonging and geopolitical dynamics. The new series of works “Blue” – realised specifically for this exhibition – literally fuses together several aspects of Anzeri’s practice. The images are brought to life by encasing pigments, inks and thread between sheets of tracing paper pressed together at high temperature, evoking the effect of drifting clouds or vanishing visions.
Maurizio Anzeri’s artworks are held in several important public and private art collections, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Alexander McQueen Collection, Fondazione Agnelli, Missoni Collection and Rothschild Collection. Anzeri’s work has been exhibited internationally in several Institutions, including the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Saatchi Gallery, London; The Box, Plymouth; Pier 24, San Francisco; BALTIC, Gateshead; Museo Madre, Napoli; MAO, Turin and several others.