Established as one of the regular additions to the Artissima art fair, In Mostra special project was invented as a secluded exhibition, aiming to promote the quality and importance of the collections from around Turin and the region. Curated specially, this art show brings together pieces selected according to the curatorial theme, which revolves around the artistic exploration of the body.
lready the title of the exhibit – body.gesture.posture, announces the angle realized by the curator Simone Menegoi, whose vision was to examine the matter of the body in art through gesture and posture. A definitely demanding subject of vast nature was brought to life in a relatively small space by the bold decisions of the curator. Truthfully, such an exhibition could sit well in a large space, a museum perhaps, including a broader selection of artworks to highlight certain moments from the history of art. However, the limits imposed by the space at Artissima served as an incentive for the curator to make this particular array, occasionally glancing over the fence of the theme, into more corporeal matters.
The Space of In Mostra
The exhibition body.gesture.posture is installed well, using a clever circular – radial solution, where the central arena hosts larger-scale, focal pieces of the show, circled by the corridor and nine separate chambers branching out. Both corridor and the chambers serve as smaller thematic units, where nine aspects of the main subject are described. The movement of the visitor is also important, since the entrance and the exit are clearly marked, while the selection of artworks, although small in number comparing to the vastness of the theme, spans from the 19th, across the 20th century, delving into the 21st and the present. Considering the fact that all of the pieces on display have been borrowed from local and regional collections, the curator Simone Menegoi executed the exhibition excellently. Furthermore, the display delivers another message, speaking of the traditions of collecting, highlighting the preferences of Turin’s most prestigious art institutions. As such, In Mostra supports the Artissima art fair as a conceptual background, providing a certain support for the displayed works on sale.
Still, the feeling remains that such a theme could be transferred to a broader space, which might be an idea for the future.
[Read more on The aspect of the body – Viewing of In Mostra at Artissima 2016, Widewalls
