Marisa Merz
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Comunicato stampa
We are pleased to announce an exhibition of works by Marisa Merz. Born in Turin, Italy, Merz was a central figure and the only woman associated with the Arte Povera movement of the late 1960s and 70s. Known for her unusual use of materials such as copper-wire, clay, and wax, Merzs works reflect the poetic sensibility that delicately entwines her vision of art and life.
Consisting of drawings and sculptures, this exhibition continues to investigate Merzs unique and intimate vision of finding meaning within the possibilities of the everyday. One of the most significant themes to arise from Merzs oeuvre is the image of the face, which is centered upon the essential and universal question of being. In these works, the figure of the face emerges as a vestige of the eternal human spirit, capturing a single and infinite moment of appearing and becoming. Composed of fleeting arabesque lines, Merzs figures are disconnected from any social or narrative context. Instead, each reveals a ghostly configuration of abstracted features that defy expressions of individual identity, fixing each in a state of suspended time. Operating within their own temporal logic, these works powerfully mirror Merzs overarching artistic belief in the enduring effect of each artwork beyond its material realization and the constraints of time and place. Through these works Merzs meticulous formal inventions reflect directly the gestures of her psyche, inviting each viewer into the inner spaces of her life.
Marisa Merz has been the subject of numerous solo and group exhibitions at museums and public institutions, including Documenta in1982 and 1992 and the Venice Biennale in 1980 and 2001, where she received the Award for lifetime achievement. Solo Exhibitions were held at Centre Pompidou in Paris 1994, Kunstmuseum Winterthur in 1995 and 2003, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam in 1996, Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Donnaregina in Naples 2007, Fondazione Querini Stampalia in Venice 2011 and Fondazione Merz in Torino 2012. Her works are in the permanent collections of important museums including the MoMa in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
