Tony Cragg. IN 4D from flux to stability

From 29 August 2010 to 09 January 2011

Tony Cragg is rightly considered one of the best representatives of contemporary sculptures in the United Kingdom. In the early stages of his work Tony Cragg showed a high level of originality when he collected brightly coloured objects discarded in cities and put them together in chromatic compositions to deliver a strong visual impact without any complex meaning attached to them. Gradually Tony Cragg moved towards more majestic sculptures with minimalistic taste, moulded using different materials such as wood, iron, bronze, glass fibre and stone: monuments of essentiality with elusive shapes, non-existent creatures yet imbued with the meanings of the known world. Tony Craggs art, in which the idea of motion has a fundamental role, to the point that his visions are not self contained but in close contact with the surrounding spaces, other objects and materials in a constant dialoguing and exchanging rapport, brings out a deep physical spirituality.

The exhibition in Venice has been specifically designed by the artist for Ca Pesaro and is laid out along an exhaustive itinerary that covers all the rooms: from the courtyard, the entrance hall and small room on the ground floor, to the monumental staircase, second floor and faade overlooking the Grand Canal. There are 40 works of art in the materials mentioned above. The exhibition offers also twenty drawings, preparatory sketches and watercolours, spanning thirty years activity, from the 1980s to today, most of which have never been on show in Italy before. They reveal the several stages of Craggs research and creative genius.

Also interesting is the dialogue which is being established between Craggs sculptures and the permanent works on display in the museum: an encounter capable of opening new insights into the language of contemporary art.