Before we dive into the art in Panorama Monferrato it’s worth setting out what it is. Italics is a collection of over 70 contemporary art, modern art and antique galleries that come together to organise an exhibition called Panorama that moves to a new location within Italy every year. This is the fourth edition and for the first time, it’s not in one town or city but across four towns in the picturesque Monferrato region in the North of Italy between Milan and Turin – Camagna, Vignale, Montemagno and Castagnole.
Each town has been curated around a theme, ranging from identity to death, and artworks have been placed in some of the spectacular buildings in each location.
My first stop was in Castagnole where the theme was the sacredness of art, including art within churches and a stunning castle that became a nursery whose architecture looked like it would be more fitting in Asia than Europe. The work here felt closer to the Italian art school of Arte Povera than the other sites with many works having a minimalist approach and using everyday items.
The most memorable work was by Alfredo Pirri where visitors walk across a floor of mirrors that will crack under our weight as we traverse it, creating new breaks and worsening existing breaks. It’s not for the superstitious and wince-inducing as I cross it. Keeping each town to a few venues with sparing works ensured all the art had room to breathe, though it did mean a car was needed to make my way between the sites – this year’s Panorama was definitely for the dedicated art lovers.
In the town of Camagna, where the theme is work, another great disused building has been re-purposed for art – with grape vines pouring in through the tiny gaps in the window frames. My highlight here was the work of Brazilian artist Maria Nepomuceno (pictured above) whose colourful installation made from straw, beads, rope and ceramics is a striking contrast to the worn walls. It also stands out from the wider exhibition, given it’s mainly Italian artists in Panorama. Including artists from the Global South ensures greater diversity and it would be great to see more artists from further afield in future Panoramas.
Vignale focuses on portrait and identity and the standout for me was the work Elisabetta di Maggio (pictured below). Using the common brand of Marseilles soap she has carved into them the names of bodily fluids associated with sexual assault – saliva, blood, sweat, semen and tears. The soap brand is used for the most persistent stains and it’s both a reference to how trauma stays with anyone who has been assaulted and that it often happens in domestic spaces that people normally associate with safety. It’s a powerful and haunting piece.
Montemagno is the fourth town and has arguably the most spectacular of venues, with art laid out in the various parts of a monumental castle. The underground section hosts a fantastic painting by Giuseppe Cesari, better known as Cavaliere d’Arpino, and his phenomenal battle scene with shades of Picasso’s Guernica – but painted centuries before in 1635-1640.
I’ve only scratched the surface of the works of 63 artists scattered across 16 venues in the four villages, reflecting the sheer amount of works on show in a fantastic initiative that celebrates Italian galleries and the artists they work with.
Putting on a four-day exhibition across four towns that aren’t on most art collectors’ and tourists’ radars may sound ambitious and crazy on paper. However, speaking to the galleries involved it’s clear that they do this out of love for art and Italy, and love makes people do crazy things. So to the galleries that are part of Italics, I would say stay ambitious, stay crazy, and I look forward to the next Panorama.
Panorama Monferrato was put on by Italics Art and curated by Carlo Falciani. It ran from 4th-8th September and Panorama will return to a yet-to-be-disclosed location in Italy next year. Panorama Monferrato is realised under the patronage of UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture and the Piedmont Region and with the territorial coordination of the Agenzia Turistica Locale della provincia di Alessandria and the Ente Turismo Langhe Monferrato Roero.
All photos by Cosmo Laera
