We begin with Hidetoshi Nagasawa, a Japanese and Milanese artist by choice, who tried throughout his life to represent the meeting between East and West in a single work, pursuing the - highly poetic - path of lightness and emptiness (which for him is generative, however).
Three places in Milan tell the story, which also hosts Theodoulos Polyviou (at the Elpis Foundation), an interesting artist for his investigation into architecture as an instrument of identity in the A palace in exile project.
Graphics is at the center of the investigation on Italian writers in a 40-year work for the exhibition Frontiera 40 Italian Style Writing 1984 - 2024 (at the MAMbo in Bologna), while Rifrzioni is a collective of 15 artists and 15 curators which aims to tell the different facets of the contemporary artistic and curatorial scene (in Rome).
Finally, Anselm Kiefer's angels await us in Florence in a profound reflection on human nature. To close this small selection of unmissable exhibitions, a market: it is the first dedicated exclusively to modern antiques (Bergamo). Good vision.
It is said of Hidetoshi Nagasawa that he chose Milan as his city of choice because his bicycle was stolen. Not just any one: the one with which he had cycled from Japan to Italy and probably for this reason, that theft seemed to him to be an unmistakable sign of the fact that he had to stop right in the Lombard capital.
It was August 1967, a year and a few months after his departure from home (May 1966): the destination was Europe, which he reached via Thailand, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan , Persia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey. There the journey seemed to be over, he had reached the gates of Europe. But then by chance he hears Mozart broadcast on the radio and is captivated: he must continue. So he arrives in Milan, where he soon meets Castellani, Nigro, Fabro and Trotta.
And then, he exhibited his works in Italy and around the world, until 2018, when he passed away. Now a retrospective curated by Giorgio Verzotti </ strong> recounts his work in around 40 works hosted in three locations </ strong> in Milan.
The Moshe Tabibnia Gallery until May 25, 2024, hosts Barca (1983-1985), made up of a thin brass tube covered with Japanese paper which, depending on the exhibition location, can be placed on the wall, on the ceiling or placed on the floor.
Lightness and spirituality tell the story of this object, placed here in dialogue with a splendid collection of 16th century Ushak prayer rugs.House of Artists, founded by Nagasawa with Nigro and de Sanna, dedicates an in-depth study to it opening his studio (1978-2007) with a choice of works that tell the design aspect of his work (8 May - 4 June).
The Galleria Building (until 20 July), then, opens with a series of works documenting Nagasawa's entire artistic experience, from performances to large-scale sculptures.
The underlying theme of the exhibition is the Zen concept of Ma, something similar to a generative void of energy and form, which meets Western culture in a dialogue as long as Nagasawa's life himself. From plants rooted in marble boats, to imprints left on this material which suddenly reveals itself to the public as soft and malleable, up to a pyramid to imagine, yet truly cumbersome in the gallery space (where there is only the apex... ), and works on paper.
Who will like it: those who love conceptual art, those who study Japanese philosophy, poetry enthusiasts. Because Nagasawa's artistic result is highly poetic.
Useful information: Galleria Building, via Monte di Pietà 23, Milan, open from Tuesday to Saturday 10am-7pm; Galleria Moshe Tabibnia, via Brera 3, Milan, open from Tuesday to Saturday 10am-7pm; Artists' House, Corso Garibaldi 89/A, Milan, open from Tuesday to Sunday 12.30pm - 7pm.
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