MICHELANGELO PISTOLETTO
Lima-Vestizione n.2, 2018
If one wants to walk into the mirror, actually walk further into it, one must step back, turn around, and walk in the opposite direction. Looking into the mirror one can see one’s own image walking into the mirror. For me this was the only possible way to reach the other side.
—Michelangelo Pistoletto
Lima-Vestizione n.2 (2018) is a recent example of Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Quadri specchianti (Mirror Paintings), which since 1962 have been foundational to his practice. It is one of five works created with photographs taken during his visits to South America in 2018; here, an image of the artist in the act of draping rags over a neoclassical statue from the collection of Museo de Arte Italiano in Lima, Peru. Seeming to exchange glances, the artist and figure represent two Italian men united across time, establishing a compositional and interpersonal relationship that is furthered by the reflected image of the viewer.
MICHELANGELO PISTOLETTO
Lima-Vestizione n.2
2018
Silkscreen on super mirror stainless steel
66 15/16 x 49 3/16 inches (170 x 125 cm)
© Michelangelo Pistoletto