Pino Pascali: Pascali Sciamano

Fondazione Carriero hosts until Saturday, June 24, Pascali Sciamano, curated by Francesco Stocchi. The exhibition presents the work of Pino Pascali (Bari, 1935–Rome, 1968) in dialogue with what is commonly labeled “tribal art.” Pascali Sciamano allows visitors to explore the artist’s creative approach through his bond with African culture, beginning from his interest in primitivism as opposed to the myths of modern society and attention to the animistic notion of nature.

The title Pascali Sciamano refers to the artist’s magical view of the world: a shaman is a person who acts poised between two worlds—here and beyond—in a dialogue with the forces of nature, expressing himself through mythical symbolism that cannot be traced back to categories of ideas and logical truths. Acknowledging transcendence and transforming each behavior into a language is what unites Pascali to the rituals and myths of primitive cultures.

The exhibition offers a different approach on Pascali’s work, verifying the important debt this artist has with African culture and its formal outcomes. The representation of stylized nature limited to its essential elements, the myth of primitivism, the use of the body as an extension of the work/object, the relationship between individual and collectivity, and the coexistence of the natural and the artificial characterize the investigations of Pascali. He moves beyond sculptural essentiality and the study of figures in an attempt to restore that primordial harmony obfuscated by the prevailing intellectualism of the time while using matter as a tool of knowledge and a mythical invocation of life elements.

Pascali Sciamano is a surprising exploration through the career of the artist between 1966 and 1968 that allows visitors to discover lesser known works, some of which have never been shown previously. The itinerary interacts with the architecture of Casa Parravicini, avoiding a direct comparison between African objects and Pascali’s work but instead intimately relates his creations, almost as if evoking a free narration. The exhibition unfolds across the Foundation’s three floors, each of which is dedicated to one of the three years (1966/1967/1968) of Pascali’s brief yet prolific career.

Fondazione Carriero is a not-for-profit institution that aims to promote, enhance, and spread modern and contemporary art and culture, acting as a cultural pole in collaboration with the most affirmed and innovative artists, devoting space also to up-and-coming artists and figures from the past who deserve to be rediscovered. With an approach that combines rediscovery and experimentation, research in all forms of intellectual expression are accompanied by commissioning new works. The foundation is born from the great willingness to share and the founder Giorgio Carriero’s passion for art. A particular aspect is that it is not bound by displaying a private collection, but rather aims to be a center of production. Fondazione Carriero is centrally located in the neighborhood of San Babila, inside Casa Parravicini, one of Milan’s very few private buildings dating to the 1400s.

Next exhibition:
November 15: Sol Lewitt, curated by Rem Koolhaas and Francesco Stocchi

Fondazione Carriero
Via Cino del Duca 4 – 20122 Milan
Mon–Sat, 11am–6pm
free admission
http://fondazionecarriero.org/en/
info@fondazionecarriero.org
T +39 02 36747039