Michelangelo Pistoletto : Segno Arte
With Michelangelo Pistoletto’s exhibition “Segno Arte”, that took place in France in the summer of 1993, simultaneously at Rochechouart, Thiers and Vassivière, a new period in his work begins, denominated “Segno Arte” that will develop in two directions at the same time. Both have been delineated in Cento mostre nel mese di ottobre (One Hundred Exhibitions in the Month of October), a book written by the artist in 1976 and published by the Giorgio Persan Gallery in Turin, in which Segno Arte was originally conceived: the production of a series of works by the artist and the invitation to realise ones own Segno Arte extended to other artists.
Pistoletto’s Segno Arte is a figure, formed by the intersection of two triangles, which ideally represents a human body with raised arms and divaricated legs. With this form, mainly used in a basic module measuring 210 x 120 cm, corresponding to the artist’s body stretched to its maximum, Pistoletto is able to move onto various works from 1993.
Within this production, from 1997, the artist creates some works called “Segno Arte Unlimited”, made out of everyday objects, such as glass doors, garbage bins, heaters, beds, etc. Each one of these works, for example “Porta (Door) Segno Arte Unlimited” or “Finestra (Window) Segno Arte Unlimited”, is produced in an unlimited number (“unlimited”) of variations, each one being different from the other by colour, form or dimension. It is a matter, therefore, of unique works of art, not of multiples.
The two dates of the captions (1976-1997) refer to the date in which “Segno Arte” was conceived (in the book Cento mostre nel mese di ottobre) and to the date of creation of the series of works “Segno Arte Unlimited” (1997).
Works with larger dimensions or public art installations also belong to the series of Segno Arte works of art. For example in Halifax, at the Henry Moore Foundation, Pistoletto exhibits “Nuclei Abitativi-Segno Arte” in 1999. In Bregenz, in front of the Contemporary Art Museum (KUB), he realises two Segno Arte structures in 1997 and in 1999, the first one is temporary, the second is permanent.
From 1995, at first those participating in one of his workshops are invited to produce their own Segno Arte, then the visitors to some of his shows and the normal citizens participating in different projects. For example, in Krems, in 1997, in front of the station, he realises a permanent sculpture, L’ala di Krems (The Wing of Krems), composed of 24 light panels each containing the Segno Arte of a Krems’s citizen, as well as Pistoletto’s.
“Traditionally a sign is impressed by everyone, a religious sign, a political sign, an advertising sign, the sign of a product; signs invade the world, but only artists have created the personal sign. Now it’s time that others as well be responsible for themselves (...) Each person who has his own sign, has the key to enter through art’s door, a door that allows one to enter a reserved, intimate, personal space, or a space of social encounters” (M. Pistoletto, in Asja Mandic, Michelangelo Pistoletto. La porta dello specchio, Ars Aevi, Sarajevo 2001, p. 78)
Segno Arte Unlimited
list of the principal exhibitions showing pieces of the series “Segno Arte Unlimited”
1998 Bruxelles, Xavier Hufkens, 25 April - 30 May, “Michelangelo Pistoletto. Segno Arte Unlimited”
1999 New York, Max Protetch Gallery, 13 May - 19 June, “Does God Exist? Yes I Do!”
2000 Oxford, Museum of Modern Art, 16 october - 30 December; Halifax, Henry Moore Foundation, 19 October -
19 March, “Michelangelo Pistoletto. Shifting Perspective”
2000 Barcelona, MACBA - Museu d’art Contemporani de Barcelona, 27 January - 29 March, “
Michelangelo Pistoletto”
2001 Torino, Palazzina della Società della Promotrice delle Belle Arti di Torino et Castello di Rivoli -
-
Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, 17 November - 8 March, “Michelangelo Pistoletto, Io sono l‘altro”
2001 Lyon, Musée d‘Art Contemporain, 8 March - 6 May, “Michelangelo Pistoletto. Continents de temps”
2004 Biella, Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto, 11 June - 14 November, “Opere di Pistoletto” (within
the event “Arte al Centro di una Trasformazione Sociale Responsabile”)
2007 Nice, MAMAC-Musée d’Art Moderne et Art Contemporain, 29 June - 4 November, “Michelangelo Pistoletto”
‘Segno Arte Unlimited’ pieces in collections
Collection Herbert, Gent
Collezione privata, Miami (USA)
Collezione privata, Roma
Collezione privata, Milano
