Per quelli che volano (For those who fly)
This work by Luigi Mainolfi overhangs the Cour Giacometti, its colour contrasting sharply with the Fondation’s immaculate white roofs. Per quelli che volano was given to the Fondation by Italian collector Giuliano Gori, following the exhibition on the Fattoria di Celle (the site housing his collection) held at the Fondation in 2012.
Made for the first time, in an incomplete version, at the 2010 Carrara International Sculpture Biennale, this work was created the following year at the Fattoria di Celle to celebrate its 30th anniversary, and is dedicated to the memory of Pina Gori, wife of Giuliano Gori (the first version, therefore; the Fondation owns the second).
The installation consists of two parts: an ordinary green park bench, and black lettering which is also the title of the work. The familiar object becomes a sculpture above all because of its unusual position on the roof and the way it interacts with the lettering on the wall below. This installation has the ephemeral as its theme, the intangible sphere of the sky, the air and, ultimately, the imagination.
Luigi Mainolfi (1948)
Born in Rotondi, near Avellino, in 1948, the Italian artist Luigi Mainolfi began drawing very early on, and attended painting classes at the Academy of Fine Art in Naples. His drawings from the period 1965-70 have strong political connotations. In the 1970s, he engaged in actions and performances, going on to devote himself almost exclusively to sculpture. His first solo exhibition was at the Centro Arte Europa, in Naples, in 1972. He moved to Turin in 1973, at a time when the group Arte Povera was very active. He works with a wide variety of materials: paper, terracotta, tuff, bronze, wood and iron. His works are firmly rooted in their surroundings.
