Ironica. La leggerezza dell'ironia
from 28 November 2006 to 31 January 2007
Milano
Credito Valtellinese Group Gallery – Milan
IRONY. THE LIGHTNESS OF IRONY
curated by Valerio Dehò and Elena Pontiggia
28 November 2006 – 31 January 2007
On 28 November, the exhibition Ironica. The Lightness of Irony opened at the Galleria Gruppo Credito Valtellinese in Milan, curated by Valerio Dehò and Elena Pontiggia.
The exhibition aims to analyse the presence of a particular type of irony in Italian art over the last few decades. The word ‘irony’ derives from the Greek ‘eironia’, meaning ‘pretence’, and can take on various nuances; indeed, there are countless forms of irony, ranging from the clownish to the more elusive, which is not apparent at first glance. The exhibition focuses exclusively on the latter, a light and subtle irony: in short, an irony that never turns into an exaggerated grimace or aggressive mockery.
The comprehensive exhibition features thirteen artists, active between the 1960s and 1970s, who are emblematic of this expressive approach: Gino De Dominicis, Pino Pascali, Alighiero Boetti, Aldo Mondino, Piero Gilardi, Salvo, Vincenzo Agnetti, Luigi Ontani, Corrado Levi, Gian Marco Montesano, Tino Stefanoni, Aldo Damioli and Lisa Ponti.
Among the most significant works are: the unpredictable spontaneity of Pino Pascali with ‘Bombe Bombe Bambù’, an exemplary work in which weapons take on an almost playful yet visionary dimension; Gian Marco Montesano’s 1968 piece ‘Il difensore dell’arte’, which engages with history by addressing the iconography of Hitler and Stalin—a subject rarely explored in contemporary art; “La risata” by Gino De Dominicis, an installation centred on the sound produced by laughter; “Autoritratto Ali Adil Sha” by Salvo, which ironically reimagines the blending of Western and Eastern civilisations in a self-portrait in which he depicts himself as an authoritative, learned Arab; "14 Telegrams" by Vincenzo Agnetti, in which the artist sends himself a series of telegrams written with phrases that challenge the certainties of language; "Vetrata" by Aldo Mondino, in which the art of decoration is realised with imperceptible playful lightness; Tino Stefanoni’s “Composizioni”, which can be considered a sort of encyclopaedia of ironic objects; Aldo Damioli’s “Venezia New York”, a figurative exchange in which Venice becomes New York, and vice versa, the Big Apple becomes the City on the Water; Lisa Ponti’s “Composizioni”, which present families of characters with a modestly fairy-tale quality.
The exhibition highlights the ability to create art with veiled yet sharp irony—an intelligent art that engages with the past with a smile, whilst at the same time expressing total poeticism. Irony thus presents itself as a mental game, necessary to grasp the depth of the critical gaze on reality that underpins these works. The smile thus becomes part of the work, favouring a direct relationship with the viewer, their involvement—albeit entirely spontaneous—as the protagonist: it is a conceptual work that starts from the physicality of the piece to reach the intellect of the observer.
"Ironica. The Lightness of Irony" is a collection of works, some of which are little known to the general public, by unique artists who, through diverse and often highly personal techniques, push the boundaries of traditional artistic language to limits that are as unusual as they are amusing.
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue published by the Fondazione Gruppo Credito Valtellinese, featuring essays by the curators Valerio Dehò and Elena Pontiggia and reproductions of all the works on display.
