From October 6 until January 17, 2026, M77 Gallery in Milan opens its doors to Riflessioni, a new solo exhibition byGraziaVarisco, a central figure in Italian visual research of the second half of the 20th century. The exhibition, curated by Francesco Tedeschi in collaboration with theGrazia Varisco Archive, represents the artist’s return to the spaces of Via Mecenate 77 five years after her last solo show Ospitare lo spazio (2020). The project proposes a dialogue between historical works and recent productions through a site-specific installation that focuses on the relationship between space, time and perception. The first part of the exhibition develops on the lower floor, where the dominant theme is precariousness. Prominent among the initial works are Spezzata e fuga - Tra...guardo (1980) and Tra...guardo (2013), interventions that guide the visitor through joined and disjointed spaces. Also exhibited here are a number of material works dating from 1957-1959, offering a glimpse into Varisco’s long career. The transition to a new experimental phase is marked by Variable Light Scheme “R. VOD” (1965), the artist’s landmark work, which marks the transition from the materic to the perceptual movement developments of later works, such as the Frangible Reticle (Boogie four-color) (1968-1969) and the “Mercurials” of the Variable+Quadrionda series.
The center of the first section includes wooden palisades arranged in a labyrinthine and temporary manner, evoking the intervention made in 1969 for the exhibition Urban Field and accompanying works from the series Between (1973-1981). In these works, the presence of mirrored walls behind the planks creates a continuous interplay between opening and closing, involving the viewer in the definition of space and recalling the suggestion of the construction site as a temporary place and urban experience.
“The palisade of the construction site, the fence net, are material appearances of reality loaded with signs ... signs of encumbrance, of obstacle, of prohibition. Temporary appearances that separate, that exclude, that condition,” the artist emphasizes.
The transition to the second part of the itinerary is marked by works such as Rotorete bianca (2006), Sollevo/Sollievo (2002) and Rotorete rossa (2006), which take up the circle as an accomplished form and as an open trace, along with the potential spaces of two ironworks from the 1970s. Dominating the upper floor is the installation Reflections, from which the exhibition takes its title. The environment is animated by the fragmentation of the image in the constantly moving mirrors. The main intervention, introduced by three wall-mounted mirrored strips that constitute the Ciao work, continues along the outdoor corridor with additional movable mirror elements, highlighting Varisco’s constant quest to explore space and the moving image.
“Mirroring linear elements rotate generating decomposed and asynchronous images, proposing reflections on the past and the future that do not find an unambiguous definition and leave room for the viewer’s interpretation,” the artist further explains.
The central section of the space dedicated to Reflections includes works that emphasize visual mobility, such as Reticenze, made with twisted and suspended nets, six elements of the series Ri-velati (2015) consisting of sheets of folded wire mesh, and Comunicanti in acciaio (2008), which reinforce the sense of temporariness and dynamism of the constructive concepts. The most recent work, Red Thread (2025), introduces a possible sign of stability, ideally closing the path on an undefined horizon. The exhibition catalog, edited by Francesco Tedeschi, presents an in-depth critical survey of Varisco’s work.
Born in Milan in 1937, Grazia Varisco is among the leading figures in kinetic and programmed art. After attending the Brera Academy of Fine Arts (1956-1960), she joined Gruppo T, participating in the Miriorama events and in events of the international Nouvelle Tendance movement. His research is characterized by balance and visual harmony, geometric lines, essential forms and precision in execution, with an active involvement of the viewer.
Varisco has exhibited at the Venice Biennale (1964, 1986, 2022), Quadriennale di Roma (1965, 1973, 1999), Arte italiana 60/82 (London, 1982), Electra (Paris, 1983), Force Fields (Barcelona and London, 2000), Beyond Geometry (Los Angeles and Miami, 2004), Op Art (Frankfurt, 2007), and in festivals devoted to kinetic and programmed art (Rome, 2012). Awards include the National President of the Republic Award for Sculpture (2007), induction to the Accademia di San Luca, and the Feltrinelli Prize for Visual Arts from the Accademia dei Lincei (2018). Varisco’s works appear in international collections, including MoMA in New York, Centre Pompidou in Paris, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome, MAMbo in Bologna, Fondazione Prada, Gallerie d’Italia, and Museo del ’900 in Milan.
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| Grazia Varisco returns to M77 with a solo exhibition |
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