Project Room #14 | Nevine Mahmoud and Margherita Raso with Derek MF Di Fabio. Rosa in mano

The collection of works on display is a dance of positions and physical contacts; between presence and absence, between whole and parts, Rosa in mano is an exhibition where sculpture stands as a celebration of the vitality of the body. The works gathered have a distinct tactile quality, even sensual, which is evident in the choice of subjects and rooted in their execution.

Nevine Mahmoud (London, 1988 – lives and works in Los Angeles) and Margherita Raso (Lecco, 1991 – lives and works between Basel and Milan) both ground their practices in a hands-on approach with materials and techniques: sculpted or blown works for the former, mechanical or manual loom works for the latter. The result for Mahmoud is standalone objects, distinctly sensual representations of body parts or natural elements that present themselves as closed forms, self-referential sculptural worlds. Raso’s fabrics, on the other hand, present works without a fixed or stable form: surfaces of great tactile and visual quality that occupy space by hanging from the ceiling, clinging to the walls, or resting on found surfaces. The dialogue between the two artists expands through the intervention of Derek MF Di Fabio (Milan, 1987 – lives and works between Perdaxius and Berlin). Di Fabio’s work often consists of workshops, with the final result being of relatively little object-based importance. Their poetic focus shifts towards the situations, on how they can be heard and interpreted.

Click here and listen to Cuscino, the audio guide created by Derek MF Di Fabio for the exhibition.