YARAT CENTRE: MICHELANGELO PISTOLETTO DO IT SOLO EXHIBITION

YARAT Contemporary Art Space presents a solo exhibition of new and seminal archive works by Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto.

Central to the exhibition is Pistoletto’s 2003 text "Terzo Paradiso" ("Third Paradise"), a manifesto for a harmonious future where nature and society coexist. "Third Paradise" states the social responsibility to seek a more sustainable world, "leading everything that is artificial; that is science and technology together with art; to give back life to Earth".

For his solo exhibition at YARAT, Pistoletto continues to use this ideology as the catalyst for new installations, which are presented in conversation with a selection of the artist’s early works. The notion of sustainability is further manifested through a series of educational programs focused on the methodology Pistoletto and his Foundation (Cittadellarte) developed for schoolchildren, including workshops for schoolchildren, young artists and a lecture series for university students. Taking place over the course of one year, this educational component will train local Azeri educators in schools across Azerbaijan to develop and expand upon the way children approach sustainability and creative processes.

The symbol of the ‘Third Paradise’ can be seen throughout Pistoletto’s oeuvre – a reconfiguration of the mathematical infinity sign where three connecting circle are drawn. The outer circles represent nature and artifice, joined together by a larger circle representing a new humanity. Celebrated as a pioneer of Arte Povera, Pistoletto’s practice spans across painting, sculpture and performance. Since the 1960s the mirrored surface has been a recurring theme in the artist’s practice, exemplifying his interest in the performative whilst creating a space for self-reflection.

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This exhibition is curated by Björn Geldhof

In collaboration with GALLERIA CONTINUA, San Gimignano / Beijing / Les Moulins / Habana

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About the Artist: 

Michelangelo Pistoletto (b. 1933, Biella, Italy) lives and works in Biella, Italy. Since his first solo show in 1960, Pistoletto has gone onto exhibit globally, with his work held in the public collections of institutions such as Tate Britain, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Art Gallery of Ontario. A leading proponent in the Arte Povera movement, major retrospectives of the artist’s work have been held in Venice, Madrid, Florence, Rome, Barcelona and Philadelphia. At the 2003 Venice Biennale, he was awarded the Leone d’Oro for lifetime achievement, and in 2007 he was awarded the Wolf Foundation Prize in Jerusalem. In 2013, Pistoletto was given the Praemium Imperiale Award from the Japan Arts Association in Tokyo.

In 1994, Michelangelo Pistoletto created the Progetto Arte Manifesto in which he proposed a new role for the artist: placing art in direct interaction with all areas of human activities surrounding the formation of society. Subsequently, in 1998, he founded Cittadellarte in his hometown of Biella, Northern Italy - a vibrant cultural and entrepreneurial community of hundreds of individuals actively engaged with their society, whilst connected to an international network. Cittadellarte's aim is to inspire and produce responsible community change. It is a laboratory-school dedicated to the study, experimentation and development of practices translating the symbol of the Third Paradise into reality, incorporating it into every sector of society and every type of organization, from the single individual to global governmental agencies like the United Nations. Cittadellarte operates in collaboration and in network with thousands of public and private subjects sharing its vision, among which the Embassies of the Third Paradise, currently 125 in 47 countries.

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Notes to editors:

Exhibition: Michelangelo Pistoletto

Location: YARAT Contemporary Art Centre, National Flag Square, Bayil, AZ1003

Dates: April 1 – June 10, 2018

Preview: March 27, 2018

Exhibition opens: Tuesday through Sunday, from 12:00 – 20:00.

Admission is free

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About YARAT

YARAT is an artist-founded, not-for-profit art organisation based in Baku, Azerbaijan, established by Aida Mahmudova in 2011. YARAT (which means 'create' in Azerbaijani) is dedicated to contemporary art with a long-term commitment to creating a hub for artistic practice, research, thinking and education in the Caucasus, Central Asia and surrounding region.

YARAT comprises YARAT Art Centre, ARTIM Project Space, YARAT Studios, YAY Gallery and an extended educational and public programme. YARAT Art Centre, a 2000m² converted Soviet-era naval building, opened in March 2015 and is the organisation's main exhibition space. The exhibition programme features new commissions by artists responding to the region.  It supports and provides access to artists from the region, while engaging and introducing established, international artists.

In October 2015, YARAT opened ARTIM, a central, accessible and dynamic space in Baku's Old City. ARTIM (meaning 'progress' in Azerbaijani) shows experimental practices and new work by emerging Azeri art professionals (selected through open call) and the international artists from the residency programme. It features multiple small-scale projects each year and hosts ARTIM LAB, a programme enabling young artists to engage in workshops and daily studio practice to generate new ideas and works.

In 2016 YARAT launched a renewed residency programme. Aimed at developing young Azerbaijani voices and emerging international artists, the focus is on new, innovative practices and artists with an interest in the region. The residency programme hosts 6 international and 4 local artists a year at YARAT Studios’ spaces.

Education has been at the heart of YARAT's activities since its creation. With a dedicated public programme that includes courses, workshops, lectures, screenings, festivals, literature and theatre clubs and family weekends, YARAT aims to give access to broad audiences of all ages. The public programme invests proactively in building communities and nurturing a wider understanding of, and participation in, contemporary art.

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For media and image enquiries please contact: 

Emma Gilhooly and Rebekah Humphries at Pelham Communications

Telephone: +44 2089693959