presents the first solo exhibition of Gianni Colombo in the UK,听organised with the Archivio Gianni Colombo. Curated by Francesca Pola and Marco Scotini, the show听will celebrate the work of Colombo during the 1960s and 1970s: the first two crucial creative decades听of his activity, which saw his affirmation as one of the pioneers of contemporary environmental听practice and installation.听Colombo鈥檚 revolutionary work first developed in post-war Milan, an international and vibrant artistic听context, enriched by the significant presence of Lucio Fontana and of experimental artists from the听new Italian generation, such as those around the Azimuth gallery and magazine. His art is connected to听the birth of what Bruno Munari and Umberto Eco defined as 鈥淎rte programmata鈥 (Programmed Art),听and to parallel kinetic and immersive creative investigations of international artists such as Lygia Clark,听Julio Le Parc, Jean Tinguely and听others related to the international ZERO movement.
More than 50 years after Colombo鈥檚 participation in seminal UK shows such as Art in Motion 鈥 the听Random and the Planned in 1964 at the Royal College of Art and In Motion. An Arts Council听exhibition of kinetic art听in 1966, the first 20 years of his career will be presented in this, his first听solo exhibition in London. The chronology of the exhibition is related to key moments in Colombo鈥檚听artistic course: it spans from 1959, the year he co-founded Gruppo T and first exhibited his work in the听international context of the Galleria Azimut, to 1980, when he realised his first London environment,听Topoestesia, 8 situazioni entrexit (Topoesthesia 鈥 8 Entrexit Situations) for the exhibition Pier +听Ocean,听Construction in the Art of the Seventies at Hayward Gallery, whose original maquette will be听on display at Robilant+Voena.听Colombo鈥檚 practice aimed at overcoming the traditional notion of art as an object to contemplate, in听order to create work that requires the active involvement of the viewer.
From his tactile pieces and听works in motion of the late 1950s, to his immersive light installations of the 1960s, into his mature large scale听environments, he conceived art as the place for an experience, which belongs to both the body听and the mind. His investigation of space is led by this idea of changing the spectator鈥檚 conventional听relationship with reality, both physically and psychically, encompassing also a broad dialogue with听technology and architecture. Colombo鈥檚 space is a space experienced in a total way, anticipating听issues of perceptual and immersive research and audience participation that are still important today.听The exhibition will bring together pivotal examples of Colombo鈥檚 work in investigating the body and the听space: from early experiments in ceramic and felt, to pieces in motion such as Strutturazione pulsante听(Pulsating Structuralisation), to light-based pieces from the 1960s and 1970s. A specific听focus is devoted to the seminal cycle Spazio elastico (Elastic Space), originated by his crucial 1967听environment realised for the exhibition Trigon 67 in Graz, which was also听awarded a prize at the听Venice Biennale in 1968. Colombo always considered Spazio elastico听to be one of his greatest听achievements, proved by the multiplicity of materials, configurations and perceptual challenges听he solved within it, and exemplified by the variety of different works on display in London.听The highlight of the exhibition is one of Colombo鈥檚 largest and most important environments:听Topoestesia 鈥 tre zone contigue (itinerario programmato) (Topoesthesia 鈥 three contiguous zones), 1965-1970. The environment was first realised and shown in the exhibition Vitalit脿 del negativo nell鈥檃rte italiana 1960/1970 at Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome (1970), where it听became the subject of wonderful photographs by Ugo Mulas, some of which will be included in the听Robilant+Voena exhibition.
It is composed of three immersive adjacent听spaces, featuring听progressive topological deformation and rhythmic illuminations: visitors are invited to enter the work听and, in walking through it, to experience a series of unconventional relationships with space and time.听This will be the first time this seminal work will be presented outside of Italy.听This selection of about 30 works, including some unpublished and never before exhibited pieces from听Italian private collections, will be the core of the exhibition, together with some rare drawings and听documents, and will be completed by Colombo鈥檚 only video art work, produced听in 1970 in collaboration听with the Italian conceptual artist Vincenzo Agnetti: Vobulazione e bieloquenza neg (Wobulation and听Bieloquence Neg). In demonstrating the outstanding wealth of his creative output, the show will听reaffirm the role played by Colombo in the development of modern and contemporary art听internationally.
Gianni Colombo: The Body and the Space 1959-1980, Robilant + Voena, 2 October – 20 November, 38 Dover Street, London, W1S 4NL.
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Credits
1. Giani Colombo,听Topoestesia – tre zone contigue, 1965-70. Courtesy of the artist and Robilant + Voena.
