It-aly

Amidst the political and social unrest surrounding May 1968 and the associated Italian “hot autumn” of 1969, Luciano Fabro began to focus on the cartographic silhouette of Italy as a leitmotif in his practice. In his Italia (Italy) series, the artist rendered the image in various materials, evoking multiple meanings; at the same time, the artist frequently used ironic titles, which underscore the many references in these works. During his production of this work, entitled It-alia, the sheet of mirrored glass broke into two parts. The two parts speak to two halves of Italy, evoking social, cultural, and geographic divisions between the north and south of the country. Arranged casually on the floor and propped up against the wall, the irreparable division but suggested contiguity between the glass plates and halves of Italy is underscored by their arrangement in proximity to one another and by the hyphenated title of the work. The ribbons of lead that frame the work suggest an engagement with the period of sociopolitical unrest in Italy at the time, known as gli anni di piombo (the years of lead), which would continue through the early 1980s.