Pier Paolo Calzolari (b. 1943)

By making uncommon connections in media, Calzolari’s works resemble a synthesis of extracted ideas. His use of the leather belt suggests the tangible and the practical—physical aspects relevant to our identity. The neon lights represent the impalpable and the sublime. It echoes to the viewer severed, fleeting thoughts—“ripetuto, mio nome, nebuloso, avido, farfallesco”—“repeated, my name, hazy, avid, farcical.” Together, this combination comments on the existential questions that confront his daily life. To the perception of others, his name takes on a multitude of meanings and opinions. Suspended on the wall by the weight of its light and its words, Calzolari entreats: which fleeting thought, which persona, shall I take on today.