Michelangelo Pistoletto: The Preventive Peace

Curated by Maja Kolarić.

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade is delighted to announce the grand opening of the first major exhibition of Michelangelo Pistoletto in Belgrade. Spread over the two floors of the Museum, the exhibition aims to be a survey of more than sixty years of practice, presenting the full range of work of this most prominent Italian artist and one of the most influential contemporary artists in Europe today.

A major protagonist of Italian Arte Povera, Michelangelo Pistoletto (born in Biella in 1933) has always been an artist whose practice was deeply connected with society, who embodies the beauty of contrast of daily life and teaches us to see beyond the materiality of things. Bringing art into society and connecting it to everyday life lies at the core of his work, using art as a tool for a responsible social transformation. Spanning from the 1960s to the present day, the exhibition La Pace Preventiva (Preventive Peace) will showcase some of Pistoletto’s most iconic works like Mirror Paintings, Venus of the Rugs, The Minus Objects, Love Differences—Artistic Movement for an Inter-Mediterranean Policy, Third Paradise  and many more, alongside some of his newest production. This comprehensive anthological exhibition will showcase the artist’s entire vocabulary from the beginning including his capital works, sculptures and installations as well as photographs, video, early public actions, to some newest colourful QR code paintings which can be visually enjoyed as abstract art but as well as activated revealing stories—making this exhibition a major event both for the museum and for the artist. 

The selection of works brings to light the duality of being and non-being, materiality and spirituality, reality and fiction, nature and technology. Pistoletto’s visionary approach seeks to breathe new life into the world, fostering a sense of possibility and striving for a better order, a more natural environment and a more human one.

La Pace Preventiva (Preventive Peace) therefore is the title of the exhibition that will pay homage to Michelangelo Pistoletto in Belgrade, offering a discursive and mystical journey to the audience. Preventive Peace aims to transcend the convention of a traditional art exhibition by imbuing it with profound meaning, inviting the audience to reflect on this delicate historical moment of war and conflict that not only takes lives but also erodes love, emphasising cultural and racial differences and violent human nature. The exhibition aspires to give a voice to themes of love, empathy, peace, and the imperative for nurturing tolerance nowadays as well as finding more respect for nature.

The show will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue with the essays by Danilo Eccher, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev and Maja Kolarić.

The organization of the exhibition is made in collaboration with Cittadellarte—Fondazione Pistoletto, Zerynthia association and Italian Institut for culture in Belgrade, under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Serbia and Italian Embassy in Belgrade, within marking the 145 years of Italian and Serbian diplomatic relations and 100 years of Italian Embassy in Belgrade.