Gianni Piacentino, Michael Werner

Gianni Piacentino | Arte Povera & career
This April, Michael Werner Gallery presents a solo exhibition of Italian artist, Gianni Piacentino. The exhibition follows the development of his fifty-year career, from his roots as a founding member of the Arte Povera movement through to his pursuit of an independent, more trailblazing style.
Piacentino’s sculptures appear effortless, but are highly worked. Inspired by the clean lines of motorcycles, automobiles and planes, he works primarily in polyester-coated and painted wood, maintaining an unwavering commitment to manual skill and highly refined industrial materials.
The outcome of his obsessive attention to the quality and assembling of his materials are minimalist pieces that are like relics of an abandoned utopia. Emblazoned with logos composed from the artist’s own initials and words related to flight and racing, each work is the result of intense planning. 
Michael Werner Gallery exhibition
Piacentino’s pieces constantly challenge their viewer, blurring the line between individual craft and industrial standardization, the everyday object and the artifact.
Go for the beauty of his materials - stay for Piacentino’s provocative methods.