Pistoletto: Remise en Jeu

Earlier this week, we went to see the work of Michelangelo Pistoletto … the father. Today, we popped into Galleria Cavour 1959 to see the daughter’s work.

(Just see, mind you … the wearable art, I imagine, falls into the “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it” category since the pieces are sold privately through fine art galleries.)

"Remise en jeu," is the title of Cristina Pistoletto’s solo exhibition of pieces from her “Fuori Moda Crista” series. In this instance, what is also a sports term in French, roughly translates as putting back into play … or breathing new life into something old, if you will.

The genesis of the series dates back to 2014 … when Cristina transformed an old black coat by applying to its back a needlework piece depicting a sailing ship. Today, that collection has 100 first edition pieces, each numbered and registered as unique.

The vintage coats, jackets, dusters, and cardigans are from her own collection. The hand-made needlework pieces were created by grandmothers and aunts. What once hung on walls are now displayed on garments … roses, poppies, landscapes, seascapes, reproductions of the art of Raphael and Leonardo. She also used salvaged objects such as small dolls, decorative buttons, fairytale characters, doilies, and more.

A sign on the wall describes every piece as “… an archive that carries traces of time, work, and affection. … Father and daughter, two distinct paths that speak to each other and both question the relationship between art, memory, and the present.”

As someone who has done quite a bit of embroidery, I really appreciated the work at this exhibition. I was never a needlework person, however. That was mom’s forte. My thing was counted cross-stitch … from scratch, and smaller the squares the better … 18 or 22 squares to an inch being my preferred format. My work hangs on the walls of our home in Colorado … where I can see and enjoy them when we are there.

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A couple of links to blog posts I did for some of my cross-stitch projects:

English Garden: https://2totravelphaeton.blogspot.com/2012/09/s…

Seaside Lovers: https://2totravelphaeton.blogspot.com/2011/01/x…

Big Cats: https://2totravelphaeton.blogspot.com/2013/12/x…Read more