MICHELANGELO PENSO
Frequencies
The exhibition Frequencies attempts to translate the invisible complexity of physical and biological interactions into a perceptible form or language. The artist invites us to become aware of the vibrations emitted by microscopic, human and astronomical bodies. He encourages us to consider the reactions that these vibrations trigger in the elements surrounding us on very different scales.
Like in a scientific laboratory, the exhibition allows us to experience the imperceptible resonances we produce, while also inviting us to carefully observe the forms of the invisible frequencies of stars and planets.
The relationship between human beings and technological systems occupies an increasingly significant place in the recent research of Michelangelo Penso. Within this context, he invites us to experiment with frequencies that connect the infinitely large and the infinitely small—two systems invisible to the human eye.
Michelangelo Penso was born in Venice in 1964, where he lives and works. After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice in 1987, he exhibited his works in numerous private galleries and public institutions. Specialising in sculpture, Penso works with various industrial materials—primarily rubber, polyester straps, aluminium and steel components—to create three-dimensional installations: expanded genetic structures that fill the space they inhabit.
Among his main exhibitions and participations are: Punti Cardinali during the 45th Venice Biennale (1993); a group exhibition at Galleria Continua in San Gimignano and Galleria L’Attico in Rome (1997); his participation in Nuit Blanche in Paris (2004) with an installation for Université Pierre et Marie Curie and, the same year, a group exhibition curated by Hans-Ulrich Obrist at Via Farini Gallery in Milan.
Other exhibitions include: Choices at Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2016); Onde Pixel, a group exhibition for UniCredit at the UniCredit Pavilion, Milan; exhibitions at Galerie Backslash and Galerie de Roussan in Paris; Nutrimentum at the Achille Forti Gallery of Modern Art in Verona (2015); Talkonfession for Progetto Borca, Dolomiti Contemporanee; Interligne at Alberta Pane Gallery in Paris; the site-specific installation Optogenetics for the cloister of the Museo di Bassano del Grappa (2017–2018); Organismi Estremofili curated by Leo Lecci at the Royal Palace of Caserta (2018); De Fils ou De Fibers at CAC Meymac (France); Dimensioni Infinite, a solo exhibition curated by Leo Lecci at CAMeC, La Spezia (2019); Cronòtopo at The Flat – Massimo Carasi, Milan; Perspectives, an international group exhibition at CICA – Czong Institute for Contemporary Art, South Korea (2021); Non c’è più nessun Virgilio a guidarci nell’inferno, curated by Martina Cavallarin with Antonio Caruso at Opendream Art, Treviso (2021); and Le parole e il vento, inseguendo aquiloni, a site-specific installation at the Golinelli Arts and Science Centre in Bologna, as well as the OpenArt Biennial 2022 in Örebro, Sweden.