Untitled

Made specifically for the 2013 “Rudolf Stingel” exhibition at Palazzo Grassi, these two oils on linen by the Italian artist are part of a much larger project, occupying the entire architectural space of the Venetian site and mixing installation, abstract paintings and portraits. Stingel appropriates the exhibition spaces of the palace by literally invading the floors and walls of carpets with an oriental motif. The relationship to space is completely changed and the exhibition route becomes a unique setting made up of carpets as far as the eye can see, on which bright silver surfaces stand out.

The abstract paintings that Stingel created for Palazzo Grassi in his studios in Merano (Italy) or New York testify to an interior reinterpretation of Venice, its history and its architectural and artistic heritage. This personal exhibition is reminiscent of that of Lucio Fontana, presented in this same place in the early 1960s, and more particularly the Venezie series. Both using a palette of metallic colors, they interpret the Serenissima, the memories and the vision they have in their own way. Representing the moon and dawn in Fontana, the luminosity of silver more evokes imaginary spaces of the unconscious in Stingel and invites to a spiritual and poetic journey. We could also see the reflections of the sun on the waters of the lagoon.