Renata Fabbri is pleased to announce Grappling with Gestures, The Gaze Wanders, the two-person exhibition by Gizela Mickiewicz and Alessandro Teoldi. The project brings together a selection of pre-existing works, along with new productions, in the intention, for the first time, to compare the practices of these two artists who – through the use of heterogeneous languages and visual vocabularies – both investigate the concepts of intimacy, memory and bodily tension, shifting be-tween figurative and abstract approaches.

Teoldi’s textile compositions, made largely from fragments of airline blankets (often combined with cotton, linen and other materials), are animated by silhouettes caught in the act of hiding and seek-ing in situations of physical contact, shyness or desire: that moment of ‘quasi’-suspension that invites the onlooker to retrace connections and imagine possible ties. Also alluding to the human figure and the plasticity of meanings the latter may carry, Mickiewicz’s sculptural production investigates bodily orientation in the world and the manifold ways inner experiences may be reflected in gesture and movement. Her work also emphasises the role negative and empty spaces establish within memory, often conceived as cognitive tools to mentally ‘complete’ an abstract form.

Although distinctive in their languages, the works on view highlight a dialogue marked by formal assonances and divergences, transitional forms and materiality, seeking to give tangible expression to the ephemeral conditions that recur with a certain repetitiveness in our daily lives. As the title suggests, the project points out the rhythmic nature of the gaze, which, observing the gestures and potential actions crystallised on the surfaces of the works, cannot help but wander, becoming an accomplice to the evocation of shared memories and emotional spheres that lead to other places.

Biography

Gizela Mickiewicz (b. 1984, Złotów, Poland) lives and works in Warsaw. She received an MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznań, Poland. Solo shows include: L21, Palma de Mallorca (2023); Stereo, Warsaw (2022, 2020, 2017, 2015 and 2011); Lucas Hirsch, Dusseldorf (2017); Arsenal, Białystok (2016); Frutta, Rome (2013) and BWA Zielona Góra (2013). Group exhibitions include: Lovay Fine Arts, Geneva (2023); ASP Gallery, Kraków (2023); Pamoja Foundation, Warsaw (2023); Museum of Textiles, Łódź (2022); ECHO Cologne (2022); Art Encounters Biennial, Public Transport Museum, Timisoara (2021); Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne (2022); CAC, Vilnius (2020); Zachęta – National Gallery of Art, Warsaw (2019); BOZAR, Brussels (2018); Bureau, New York (2015); Bunkier Sztuki, Cracow (2015); Kunsthalle Bratislava (2015) and Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw (2014). Mickiewicz completed a residency at Gasworks, London (2014) and Triangle, New York (2016). She was shortlisted for the VIEWS – Deutsche Bank Award (2019).

Alessandro Teoldi (b. 1987, Milan) lives and works in New York. He received his MFA from ICP-Bard College, New York and a BA in Photography from Istituto Europeo di Design, Milan. His work has been exhibited in public and private spaces. Solo shows include: Capsule, Shanghai (2023 and 2021); Marinaro, New York (2022 and 2020); Suprainfinit Gallery, Bucharest (2018); Viasaterna, Milan (2018); The Cabin, Los Angeles (2018) and 11 Rivington, New York (2017). His collective projects include: Taymour Grahne Projects, London (2022); FLAG Art Foundation, New York (2021); Magazzino Italian Art, Cold Springs, New York (2020); Klaus von Nichtssagend, New York (2017); The Camera Club of New York (2016) and International Center of Photography, New York (2013). He was one of the 2018 residents at La Brea Artist Residency, Los Angeles, and a 2013 Workspace Baxter St resident at the Camera Club in New York.

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