An exhibition of light, by Mario Nanni, at Villa Panza

“You see things that exist, and wonder ‘Why’? I dream of things that don’t exist, and I wonder ‘Why not?’ … Then, I begin.” It is with these words of Mario Nanni that the catalogue of the exhibition by the artist from Romagna, entitled “Luce all’opera” (“Light at work”), in Villa Panza, in Varese, until 2 June. Over forty years ago, Mario Nanni … began investigating, reflecting upon, studying and working with light. With one of the most intangible, volatile and unpredictable elements, with natural light, which was his first love, but also with artificial light, he has created three-dimensional works, videos and installations, with a somewhat obsessive attention to the work, the result of intense research and study. He has studied great monuments, such as La Scala in Milan, the “Villa dei Vescovi”, in Luvignano, and the “Palazzo della Mercanzia” in Florence’s “Piazza della Signoria”, carefully considering the past that these monuments represent, and the present, in which they still exist. Working with light means working with its infinite variations, with something that we take for granted (which we are wrong to do), with an element that is essential to life and therefore even more fascinating.

Nanni regards light as a plastic material of architecture, a substance to be sculpted. Clear light and hidden light. Light and, of course, shade.

The exhibition contains twenty works, produced between 1988 and 2013, which document the artist’s journey towards experimenting with new forms and methods of lighting, to give weight to the intangible, sculpting the sun’s rays like an architectural volume.

Light has its own rhythm, the rise and fall of the visual element requires the eye to adapt. This is why the exhibition needs to be seen calmly, moving among the works, without pressure.

“Luce all’opera”

Mario Nanni

14 March – 2 June, 2013

Villa Panza, and the Panza Collection

Piazza Litta 1, Varese

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am – 6 pm

Entrance to the Villa: adults: € .00, FAI members: € 3.00.