Michelangelo Pistoletto

“If the weather holds and you find yourself strolling through Hyde Park this month, then be sure to pop into The Serpentine to see Pistoletto’s current exhibition “The Mirror of Judgement”.”

Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens, London W2 3XA | 020 7298 1522 | More information

In the 1960s, Pistoletto was a forerunner of Art Povera, a reactionary movement that rejected Italy’s fascist past and the more commercial, artificial and “superfluous” approach of Pop Art. Instead, art was created from found objects such as old newspaper and discarded industrial materials in an attempt to simultaneously unearth and anchor “roots” in time, in nature, in matter.

Ever since, Pistoletto – now considered a pre-eminent contemporary artist – has displayed a fascination with searching for meaning and direction; something the maze in his current installation alludes to.

Amidst this maze constructed out of coils and coils of corrugated cardboard are the four elements that comprise the installation “Time of Judgement” – an Islamic prayer mat, a wooden Buddha, a prie-dieu and two arched mirrors designed to evoke the Tablets of the Law. The four religious artefacts stand before mirrors that reflect the object and their surroundings but also offer the opportunity for contemplation to the viewer, acting as a reminder of judgment and man’s responsibility. At the physical and conceptual heart of the exhibition is a secular utopia – “The Third Paradise” – proffered as an alternative to sacred belief through a fusion of nature and artifice.

Pistoletto believes art can act as a catalyst for change, hence he imbues such big messages in his work. So, with quite a lot to think about, post-show it's probably best to have a quick lie down on the grass...

An a-mazed,

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