Curated by Angelandreina Rorro

Emilio Isgrò's exhibition begins deliberately where the anthological one, entitled Dichiaro di essere Emilio Isgrò (I declare to be Emilio Isgrò), and presented in 2008 at the Centro per l'Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci (Center for Contemporary Art Luigi Pecci), ended.
The intention is to show and prove, in a sort of reverse path, the actuality of Isgrò's art and the fact that his latest works are closely related to the first ones. His most recent, spectacular and complex installations are composed of elements outlined since the sixties and seventies, continuing and expanding the artist's early themes and signs.

"My Italy Model - says the artist - is a model of identity that, starting from art, wants to recover the cultural uniqueness that from Renaissance to Futurism has risen Italy to the respect of the world. Because, yes, it is true that we are economically and politically in a crisis, turning into a small power now. And yet we are still a great cultural power able to compete in global markets. It is from this consciousness that we, as artists, have to start again if we want to show the way of courage also to economy and politics. I would say that ours is a patriotic duty:  for our country and for Europe itself. "

The exhibition starts in the ground floor rooms with the past five years' works. So, the already mentioned painting: Dichiaro di essere Emilio Isgrò (I declare to be Emilio Isgrò), 2008, co-exists with absolute naturalness with the symbolic Modello Italia (Italy Model), 2012, while Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy), 2009, is a counterpoint to Sbarco a Marsala (Landing at Marsala), 2010, in which the statue of Garibaldi is overwhelmed by ants to the notes of Casta Diva performed by a music box.

From the Italian scene represented by La Costituzione cancellata (The crossed-out Constitution), 2010; L'Italia che dorme (The sleeping Italy), 2010, and Cancellazione del debito pubblico (Deletion of public debt), 2011, the horizon widens to a global vision with: Weltanschauung (2007), Var ve yok, and Codici Ottomani (Ottoman Codices), 2010. Moreover, a group of brand new works, never displayed before, have been added: some Italian newspapers deleted according to a constructive logic to symbolize the need for a new beginning, both for our country and Europe.

Upstairs the public will find, instead, a selection of famous works, such as: Volkswagen (1964), Poesia Jacqueline (1965), Enciclopedia Treccani (1970), as well as the first Libri cancellati (Crossed - out books) and Telexes, the Semi d'arancia (Orange seeds), and Particolare da Gianni Agnelli ingrandito 999 volte (Detail from Gianni Agnelli enlarged 999 times) to the poignant Ora italiana (Italian time), 1985, inspired by the Bologna massacre.

Adapted from press release of the GNAM exhibition