Igloo (Tenda di Gheddafi) (Igloo - Qaddafi's Tent),
1968-81

Architettura fondata dal tempo - Architettura sfondata dal tempo
(Time-Based Architecture - Time-Debased Architecture), 1981

Manica Lunga da 1 a 987 (Manica Lunga from 1 to 987), 1990

Igloo con albero
(Igloo with Tree), 1968-69

Senza titolo (Una somma reale è una somma di gente)
(Untitled - A Real Sum is a Sum of People), 1972

Animale terribile
(Terrifying Animal), 1981

 

Mario Merz (Milan 1925-2003), would abandon his studies and become a self-taught painter. His debut was in 1953 with works in the expressionist tradition; he later evolved toward a more informal treatment of painting. In 1967 he became a participant in the movement known as Arte Povera (“Poor Art”).

Merz’s work revolves around experimentation with nonart materials, often natural substances, and with common objects crisscrossed by rays of neon light. These pieces frequently take the form of installations that involve the surrounding environment.

For the artist, the rays of light, equivalent to the arrows used in earlier sculpture, evoke the forces of energy that permeate all matter.