Press Release
From February 23 to July 30, 2023, Pirelli HangarBicocca presents NOw/here, the solo exhibition by Gian Maria Tosatti (Rome, 1980; lives and works in Naples), one of the most interesting Italian artists in recent years. Two impressive painting cycles: with these new textured, abstract, large-
The exhibition NOw/here, curated by Vicente Todolí, consists of two cycles of paintings presented for the first time at Pirelli HangarBicocca, Portraits (2022) and NOw/here (2023). These large-
This new body of work condenses several recurring concepts of Gian Maria Tosatti’s research over the past two decades and embodies a dialogue with the Zeitgeist (Spirit of the time), resonating with the feelings, characteristic of the artist’s generation. For Tosatti, the exhibition becomes an opportunity to address aspects of current events as well as the human condition at such a difficult moment in time, in a society poised between catastrophe and evolution. These works are also conceived as “mirrors,” open questions that directly confront the visitor. In the words of the artist: “Right from the title, whose pronunciation differs depending on the perspective chosen by the reader, the exhibition is an invitation to delve into an environment that seems to pose an open, simple, intimate question to those who cross its threshold: ‘how do you feel?”
Through their material qualities, the paintings reconnect with the very moment when reality reveals itself, as evoked by the exhibition title “NOw/here,” whose elements can be read individually, as “now” and “here,” or sequentially, as in “nowhere.” This project is a coherent continuation of the artist’s poetic journey, showing extensive references to many of his past works, from Testamento—devozioni X (2011), to the more recent Episode of Odesa (2020) and History of Night and Destiny of Comets (2022). In NOw/here Tosatti seems to confront History, interpreting it not as a chain of events, but as a feeling, while trying to capture the moment to which we belong.
The artist
Tosatti’s work focuses on the notions of collectivity and memory, in their historical, political, and spiritual significance. Carrying out in-
Exhibition 23 February -
© ArtCatalyse International / Marika Prévosto 2023. All Rights Reserved
Vew of Gian Maria Tosatti: NOw/here, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, 2023. Courtesy of the artist and Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan. Photo: Ela Bialkowska, OKNOstudio.