Gabriele Basilico and his Milan
Not just a tribute to one of the most famous among Milanese photographers – Gabriele Basilico, deceased in 2013 – and to his passion for urban realities, but also a testimonial of the massive re-qualification of the“Porta Nuova”- ex “Varesine” – Milanese neighborhood: Unicredit Pavillon, located in Gae Aulenti Square, presents :“Gabriele Basilico – Ascolto il tuo cuore, città”, a showcase of the artist’s work, until January 31st. The exhibit, a moving retrospective dedicated to Basilico, his city and the many more who inspired his heart, is comprehensive of 150 photos, a series of videos and projections.
Starting point “Milano. Ritratti di fabbriche”, produced between 1978-1980 and also one of the most influential contemporary Italian photographic reports, ideally – and visually- connected to the last part of the itinerary, prominently dedicated to Milanese “Porta Nuova” district.
In between the two points, the photographer’s visual and intellectual adventure is narrated with the“Porti”series, middle ‘80s, the “Beirut” end of civil war in 1991 and, particularly expressive of the artist’s style, photos of beloved cities and metropolis around the world : from Milan to Naples, Moscow, Paris, Berlin, Istanbul, Madrid, Rio, San Francisco and Shanghai, the display counts about fifty pieces, showing the artist’s insatiable search for common denominators “not only in the cities’s centers memory, but also in the – spontaneous – fragmentation of the suburbs”.
The exhibit testifies both Basilico’s coherent inspiration and his ability to discover the joining elements that may connect different cities, in building “a global place as the sum of different places”.
Curated by Walter Guadagnini in collaboration with Giovanna Calvenzi, the exhibit offers a catalog of the exposed pieces from Skira publisher
