Mainolfi is the title of the exhibition of works by Luigi Mainolfi that will be presented in Salerno on Friday, May 20th at 7 pm, at Chiesa dell’Addolorata (Complesso di Santa Sofia), curated by Antonio d’Avossa.
The exhibition, designed and curated by Paola Verrengia, has been organizedin collaboration with Fondazione Filiberto Menna with the contribution of Comune di Salerno and Provincia di Salerno.
Luigi Mainolfi (Rotondi Valle Caudina (Avellino), 1948. Lives and works in Turin) is among the most significant exponents of international contemporary sculpture.
In the 70’s (when he moved to Turin) he became the protagonist of actions and performances where his body was portrayed with plaster cast and wax. Starting with a consideration about the concept of identity and the changes inflicted by time he continued with a research entirely dedicated to the materials through which he wanted to highlight his relationship with such materials. Terracotta, plaster, wood, tuff, water, iron, bronze become the privileged interlocutors of the demiurgic artist, in a “skin to skin” with nature aimed at renovating the forms of sculpture. «These are the same materials that have always accompanied men from their caves to the present – explains the artist. You can find many of these materials in nature (the ones imbued with an inside identity, a soul and a body). I love moldingearth and sculpting stone. Every subject requires its own material. I like the force of fire (the mountain of a volcano) the flightand vastness of deserts (the light), the color and volume of the universe. Water and wind are my favorite masters and I enjoy getting lost in the shape of my toys, my mind and my hands».
In the 80’s Mainolfi intensifies the playfulness and manipulation of his materials: the work Campana is dated 1980– one of his most famous works – destined to embrace color, graffiti and writing. In the 90s he becomes the creator of enchanted worlds, thanks to his mythological subjects and the poetry that is typical of his works, for instance, Il Trionfo (Orco), il Tempio, Scarabocchi, Piramidi (Scala), Città (Sfera).
He participated in many solo shows and international festivals: the São Paulo Art Biennal, Brazil (1981), the Venice Biennale (1982, 1986, 1990), the Paris Biennale, Documenta 7 Kassel (1982), the international Biennale of Sculpture of Carrara (2002). In 1987 he won the Superior Prix in Japan at the 5th Henry Moore G.P.
In 2001 he represented Italian art in Japan at the Contemporary Art Museum of Sapporo.
In Salerno, in the spaces of Chiesa dell’Addolorata, we will present a series of big historical works of great emotional impact: Nacchere (del Sole) (1988), Colonna Indecisa (1996), Scala tamburo (2000), Sfera grande (2005).
Nozze di Sole e Salerno is the new work,designed ad hoc and presented for the first time in this context, «This work consists of the bright and productive embrace of two spherical shapes that have been elaborated for the ritualgreeting of the entire exhibition and are meant to trace the profile of the solar character of these lands» (A. d’Avossa, 2005).
Essay published by Edizioni Menabò (Salerno), presentation by Antonio d’Avossa, Interview by Angelo Trimarco
The show will be open to the public at Chiesa dell’Addolorata (Complesso di Santa Sofia) – Largo Plebiscito, every day until June 9th, 2005 (besides Monday morning): 10.00/13.00 – 17.00/21.00.
On Saturday, May 21st at 6.30 pm at Chiesa dell’Addolorata there will be a meeting with the artist entitled La forma e la materia, promoted by Fondazione Filiberto Menna and Department of Philosophy of Università degli Studi di Salerno. Introduction by Prof. Giuseppe Cantillo. Other guests: Prof. Antonio d’Avossa, Prof. Giuseppe Di Giacomo and Prof. Angelo Trimarco. The event will be officiated by Prof. Pina De Luca. During the meeting we will present the video “Nozze di Sole e Salerno” by Maria Rosaria Mari.
