Sergio Breviario
21 quadrati
May 6 - September 15, 2013
Works
Press Release
On Monday 6 May, Galleria Marie-Laure Fleisch will inaugurate 21 Quadrati, a personal exhibition of the artist Sergio Breviario who returns after two years to exhibit once more in Rome in the Vicolo Sforza Cesarini space. Breviario continues his personal research into the construction of measurable worlds; studied and stable spaces inhabited by new forms generated by the harmonious juxtaposition of diverse elements. As his previous installations, Brevario reinterprets the exhibition space, constructing his own personal seeing-machine which, in this case perceives abstract bodies formed when the elemental form of the square is decomposed and de-structured.
The central element of the installation is a table on which we see mysterious arrangements of paper; twenty one structures constructed from identical squares from which triangles have been removed to then be glued onto what remains of the original square. The process is based on mathematical formulae chosen by the artist and gives rise to new forms and shapes with different numbers of vertices. It is almost as if Brevario feels obliged to apply a numerical approach when creating his works.
Mathematical studies of plants has demonstrated that the order of botanical elements such as leaves, flowers, fruits is predetermined; indeed the geometrical structure of the organism is governed by underlying laws attributable to the science of numbers. The same process occurs in Sergio Breviario's work. By applying simple and definitive mathematical schemes to a pre-existing elemental form, he creates new complex forms which are the mere expression of themselves. Indeed, they take on the appearance of plants with their geometrical-mathematical construction; extremely light paripennate leaves laid out in layers on a flat surface. They can be seen, semi-hidden between gossamers of synthetic polyester; their contours softened and rendered opaque and vibrant by the application of a grey tint foreign to the living organism and more akin to its artificial reproduction.
The gallery walls are covered with collages, each one composed of twenty three triangles glued onto various layers of glass; a technique which creates depth and a certain shadow-like effect. Taking on the appearance of fields of paper, the only foreign element is the texture of these angular cuts of brocades and other precious fabrics, confirming Brevario penchant for using uncommon, outdated materials and forms. These are photostatic images which, with their two-dimensional form, reproduce classical decorative motifs. But underlying all of these effects are a series of precise numerical parameters: the triangles (or blades of grass) are all exactly 32 cm tall, whereas the white space above is exactly 23 cm and everything is framed in a 55 x 55 cm square (32 + 23 = 55). The numbers 32 and 23 are recurrent in Breviario's constructions; numerical palindromes establishing the parameters for his operative method of creating form. Once again, another pretext to try to render everything measurable, to give method to creation which, like nature, tends to distance itself from any significance: “I want that the work express itself just like a body expresses itself, and not as a means to tell the story of something else”(Sergio Breviario).
Sergio Breviario (Bergamo, 1974. lives and works in Milan). Winner of Premio Lombardia in 2012, he also received a special mention in the Premio Moroso 2013. Among his solo exhibitions, we cite: Prototipo di macchina per la conquista del mondo (Centro arti visive Pescheria, Pesaro, 2012); Drawings by 2 (with Marco Bongiorni) (Galleria Marie-Laure Fleisch, Rome, 2011); L’erba del re non fa crescere i fiori (Fabio Tiboni arte contemporanea, Bologna 2010); P.E.P.E. (Galleria Piac, Ragusa 2007); and Diciannove novantasei: mi edifico e ti guardo (Viafarini, Milan 2006). Among his group shows, we cite: Arimortis (Museo del 900, Milan, 2013); Punti di Vista (Palazzo Arnone, Cosenza, 2012); Don't Come If You Care (Het Wilde Weten, Rotterdam, 2011); Difetto come indizio del desiderio (NEON Campobase, Bologna, 2011); A ruota libera (MAXXI Museo delle Arti del XXI secolo, Rome, 2011); Transition. A private matter (Roaming, Prague, Czech Republic, 2010); Non voltarti adesso/ Don’t look now! (Cà Pesaro, Venice, 2009); Repetita iuvant (Roaming Assab one, Milan, 2008); THIN LINE: THE EXHIBITION, THE MOVIE!! (VUB, Brussels, Belgium, 2005); Thin line 4 (Viafarini, Milan, 2005). Works by Sergio Breviario can be found in various public collections such as the AMACI (associazione dei musei d’arte contemporanea italiani) and the MART, Rovereto.
Artist Biography
Born in Bergamo, 1974.
Lives and works in Milan
Solo exhibitions
2021
Avrei Brio, Casa degli Artisti, Milan, Italy
2020
Tic!Tic!Toc!, Spazio C.o.s.m.o. Milan, Italy
2019
Ventiduemilanovecentodiciannove, Surplace art space, Varese, Italy
Nimbo o aureola quadrata e il disegno di Watteaux, curated by Gianluca Brogna, Ex Elettrofonica, Rome, Italy
2016
Fotoromanzo, curated by Ilaria Mariotti, Palazzo delle Esposizioni Villa Pacchiani di Santa Croce sull’Arno, Italy
2015
The Belle of the Ball, MAC Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, Lissone, Italy
2014
I love you on the stage, O’ space, Milan, Italy
The Time Machine Oltrepò, Galleria del Premio Suzzara, Mantova, Italy
Blemmi, Posteria Cafè, Milan, Italy
2013
La Logica del Tornasole, CARS, Final Palazzotto di Orta san Giulio, Omegna, Italy
21 Quadrati, Galleria Marie-Laure Fleisch, Rome, Italy
23, Gaff farnespazio, Milan, Italy
2012
Prototipo di macchina per la conquista del mondo, curated by Ludovico Pratesi, Centro arti visive Pescheria, Pesaro, Italy
2011
Drawings by 2 (con Marco Bongiorni), curated by di Ludovico Pratesi, Galleria Marie-Laure Fleisch, Rome, Italy
2010
L’erba del re non fa crescere i fiori, Fabio Tiboni arte contemporanea, Bologna, Italy
2009
Fanzine, Primo tempo. C/O L'ospite e l'intruso, Varese
Sergio: Ciao come va? Ale: Bene. Sergio: Allora io porto le bolle. Ale:Io la mostra. Sergio: No, lascia a casa tua zia (with Alessandro Roma), Mars - Milan Artist Run Space, Milan, Italy
2008
E’ ospite solo verso sera (con D. Rivalta), curated by Davide Ferri, Fabio Tiboni arte contemporanea, Bologna, Italy
2007
P.E.P.E., Galleria Piac, Ragusa, Italy
2006
diciannove novantasei: mi edifico e ti guardo, curated by Milovan Farronato, Viafarini, Milan, Italy
Group Exhibitions
2020
Bodies on stage, performances from home in the time of quarantine, curated by Andrea Contin, in partnership with Teatro LinguaggiCreativi, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rijeka, Croatia
Italian Imaginary, MLF | Marie-Laure Fleisch, Brussels, Belgium
2019
Corpi sul Palco, curated by Andrea Contin, Teatro LinguaggiCreativi, Milan, Italy
2018
Premio Lissone, curated by Alberto Zanchetta, Museo d’arte Contemporanea, Lissone, Italy
Walkabout 01 / Foreignness. Enchantment, curated by Ermanno Cristini, Al Fadhil, Franco Marinotti, Luca Scarabelli, Fabbrica del cioccolato, Foundation for arts, Blenio, Switzerland
Attimi d’arresto. polvere, sfocature e rotolacampi, curated by Ermanno Cristini and Francesca Petrolo, Casa Petrolo, Ticinallo, Italy
Noplace 4, Ex Fabbrica Vaccari, Sarzana, Italy
2017
Moroso concept for contemporary art, curated by Andrea Bruciati, Museo etnografico del Friuli, Udine, Italy
Concetto spaziale, Artdate: sacro/sagra, curated by The Blank, Bergamo, Italy
2016
Profili del mondo, Biennal, curated by Alessandra Bigi Iotti, Marinella Paderni, Massimo Pulini, Giulio Zavatta, Museo della Città, Rimini, Italy
Vitello tonnato, Plutschow Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland
Homeworks: n. 5, curated by Samuele Menin, Galleria Arrivada, Milan, Italy
NoPlace.Space, Castello di Fombio, Lodi, Italy
2015
Non esistono oggetti brutti, curated by Thanos Zakopoulos and Alberto Zanchetta, Galleria Bianconi, Milan, Italy
Progetto Città ideale, curated by Mirko Canesi, Fabbrica del vapore, Milan, Italy
Homeworks, curated by Samuele Menin, Galleria Arrivada, Milan, Italy
Èdra. Tutta l'Italia è silenziosa, Accademia Tedesca Roma Villa massimo, Rome, Italy
2014
Berti Breviario Casini Galantini, Galleria MK Search Art, San Giovanni Valdarno, Italy
Panta Rei. Tutto si trasforma, Museo Civico del Marmo di Carrara, Carrara, Italy
I baffi del bambino, curated by Luca Bertolo, Lucie Fontaine, Milan, Italy
Made in Filandia, Filanda di Pergine Valdarno, Arezzo, Italy
Quinta Essentia, The Workbench, Milan, Italy
Artist Run Space International Show, curated by Chung Sae Yong, Space BAR, Gallery TOMA, Art Space Bangchun, Project 9-21, TAEGU, South Korea
Drawing for Lightnings, Kunstraum t27, Berlin, Germany
Belvedere, paesaggi e visioni della collezione del Maga, Galleria d’arte moderna e contemporanea, Gallarate, Italy
Se di-segno, curated by Sergia Avveduti, Padiglione Esprit Nouveau, Bologna, Italy
2013
La logica del tornasole, curated by Lorenza Boisi, Cars, Omegna, Italy
Arimortis, curated by Roberto Cuoghi and Milovan Ferronato, Museo del 900, Milano, Italy
Moroso Award for contemporary art, curated by Andrea Bruciati, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venice, Italy
2012
Saremo come dei principi, sottoterra, curated by Jean-Marie Reynier e Ermanno Cristini Artpolis, Lugano, Switzerland
L’altro lato della luna, curated by Andrea Bruciati, Jarach Gallery, Venice, Italy
C’est la nuit qu’il est beau de croire à la lumière, curated by Jean-Marie Reynier and Ermanno Cristini, Fort militaire de Chillon, Montreux, Switzerland
Personal effects on sale, curated by Francesco Calzolari, David Casini, Viola Emaldi, Irene Guzman, Valentina Rossi, Marco Scotti, Sissi, Padiglione l’Esprit Nouveau, Bologna, Italy
Punti di Vista, curated by Ludovico Pratesi, Palazzo Arnone, Cosenza, Italy
Epipedon, curated by Ludovico Pratesi, CO2, Rome, Italy
...e vi solleverà il mondo, curated by Berti, Breviario, Menin, Roma, O’, Milan, Italy
2011
Meriggio a Carignano, curated by Ludovico Pratesi, Villa al Console, Carignano, Italy
Dialogos, Assab-one, Milan, Italy
Don't Come If You Care, curated by Sils, Het Wilde Weten, Rotterdam, Holland
3mm al giorno, Cripta 747, Turin, Italy
Scultura lingua, curated by Barbara Meneghel, Marselleria, Milan, Italy
Difetto come indizio del desiderio, curated by Andrea Bruciati, NEON Campobase, Bologna, Italy
A ruota libera, curated by Milovan Farronato and Chiara Agnello, MAXXI Museo delle Arti del XXI secolo, Rome, Italy
2010
Soap Float, curated by Luca Trevisani, Marselleria permanent exhibition, Milan, Italy
MR Potato's Head. La scultura è cangiante per natura, curated by Luca Trevisani, Cars Artspace, Omegna, Italy
Altre pagine d’artista. 1960 – 2010, curated by Alessandro Castiglioni, Centro artistico Alik Cavaliere, Milan, Italy
Transition. A private matter, curated by Alessandro Castiglioni e Katia Baraldi, Roaming, Prague, Czech Republic
Festa Mobile, curated by Davide Ferri and Antonio Grulli, Miki e Max, Bologna, Italy
Effetto Stalker #3, curated by Helga Marsala, Galleria Dell’arco, Palermo, Italy
2009
Non voltarti adesso/ Don’t look now!, curated by Milovan Farronato, Cà Pesaro, Venice, Italy
Il Resto del Tempo, curated by Alessandro Castiglioni, Castello Visconteo di Jerago, Jerago con Orago, Italy
New Italian Epic, curated by Andrea Bruciati, Brown Project Space, Milan, Italy
L’immagine sottile 03, GC.AC Galleria Comunale d’Arte Contemporanea, Monfalcone, Italy
2008
Una ruota che sale e scende dallo sgabello, curated by Luca Scarabelli, Museo Flaminio Bertoni, Varese, Italy
Repetita iuvant, curated by Alessandro Castiglioni, Roaming Assab one, Milan, Italy
2006
La torta della sposa, Galleria Manuela Klerkx, Milan, Italy
Video.it 7, Palazzo dei Giureconsulti, Milan, Italy
Sperequazione: il riflesso perplesso, curated by Michela Arfiero, neon>fdb, Milan, Italy
2005
THIN LINE: THE EXHIBITION, THE MOVIE!!, VUB, Bruxelles, Belgium
No location relocation, curated by Michela Arfiero, Galleria Comunale di arte contemporanea, Castel San Pietro Terme, Italy
Video.it / contrappunti, curated by Mrio Gorni and Francesco Poli, Palazzo Graneri della roccia, Turin, Italy
Thin line 4, curated by Milovan Farronato, Viafarini, Milan, Italy
2004
Showcase , curated by Michela Arfiero, Artopia, Milan, Italy
Chance, T293 arte contemporanea, Naples, Italy
2003
Tracce di un seminario, curated by di Giacinto Di Pietrantonio and Angela Vettese, Viafarini, Milan, Italy
2002
In extremis, curated by Giacinto Di Pietrantonio e Angela Vettese, Fondazione Ratti, Como, Italy
Grants & Awards
2013
Premio Suzzara, La terra si muove con il senso, Suzzara, Italy
Premio Moroso, Moroso Concept for Contemporary Art, Udine (Menzione speciale), Italy
2012
Premio Lombardia Arte, Regione Lombardia, MIART, Milan, Italy
Anche oggi sono felice, Collezione Amaci (c/o Museo Maga), Gallarate, Italy
2009
É una questione di santità, Mart, Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Rovereto, Italy
La vergine affetta da poliochidismo predilige la castità. Seconda versione, GC.AC Galleria Comunale di Monfalcone, Italy
Residencies
2020
Casa degli Artisti, Milan, Italy
2014
Made in Filandia, Pergine Valdarno, Italy
Database, Carrara, Italy
2013
Cusio Artist Residency Space, Cars, Omagna, Italy
2002
Corso superiore di arti visive, Fondazione Ratti, Como, Italy