Carlo Orsi photographed Jannis Kounellis in 2006 during the installation of the Atto Unico exhibition, curated by Bruno Corà in the spaces of the Fondazione Pomodoro in Milan.
For the occasion, the main aisle of the former turbine factory in the Tortona area was occupied by a complex installation, where imposing iron structures, arranged concentrically almost to form a spiral, housed jute sacks, stone slabs, coals, meat, gas lamps and books, creating a labyrinth charged with dramatic tension.
Orsi's photographs document Kounellis's activity during the complex planning and realization phases of the exhibition, offering a detailed and valuable glimpse into his creative process.
Jannis Kounellis (1936 - 2017) was an artist of Greek origin, among the protagonists of the Italian scene after World War II.
Born in Athens, he moved to Rome in 1956, where he attended the Academy of Fine Arts, studying with Toti Scialoja.
His career is distinguished from the beginning by the profound renewal of artistic language and the questioning of the traditional status of painting and sculpture by resorting to unconventional materials, often taken from the world of industry or everyday life, such as iron, coal, jute sacks, wood, fire and live animals, hence the absence of a single recognizable style within his production.
In the late 1960s Germano Celant included him in that group of Arte Povera artists. Among the most emblematic works of this moment is the installation with twelve live horses presented in 1969 at the L'Attico gallery in Rome.
His works evoke themes related to memory, work, history and identity, connoted by the recognition of the political value of his own artistic commitment.
Kounellis was one of the Arte Povera exponents with the greatest international resonance, and his works can now be found in numerous museum collections around the world.
Carlo Orsi photographed Jannis Kounellis in 2006 during the installation of the Atto Unico exhibition, curated by Bruno Corà in the spaces of the Fondazione Pomodoro in Milan.
For the occasion, the main aisle of the former turbine factory in the Tortona area was occupied by a complex installation, where imposing iron structures, arranged concentrically almost to form a spiral, housed jute sacks, stone slabs, coals, meat, gas lamps and books, creating a labyrinth charged with dramatic tension.
Orsi's photographs document Kounellis's activity during the complex planning and realization phases of the exhibition, offering a detailed and valuable glimpse into his creative process.
Jannis Kounellis (1936 - 2017) was an artist of Greek origin, among the protagonists of the Italian scene after World War II.
Born in Athens, he moved to Rome in 1956, where he attended the Academy of Fine Arts, studying with Toti Scialoja.
His career is distinguished from the beginning by the profound renewal of artistic language and the questioning of the traditional status of painting and sculpture by resorting to unconventional materials, often taken from the world of industry or everyday life, such as iron, coal, jute sacks, wood, fire and live animals, hence the absence of a single recognizable style within his production.
In the late 1960s Germano Celant included him in that group of Arte Povera artists. Among the most emblematic works of this moment is the installation with twelve live horses presented in 1969 at the L'Attico gallery in Rome.
His works evoke themes related to memory, work, history and identity, connoted by the recognition of the political value of his own artistic commitment.
Kounellis was one of the Arte Povera exponents with the greatest international resonance, and his works can now be found in numerous museum collections around the world.
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