Emilio Isgrò: Erasing to Create

Erasing to Create

A major exhibition tracing the extraordinary artistic journey of Italian artist Emilio Isgrò (b. 1937), from his pioneering conceptual work of the 1960s to his most recent creative explorations. Organised in collaboration with the Fondazione Emilio Isgrò and the Consulate General of Italy in London, this retrospective celebrates more than six decades of innovation. It charts the evolution of the artist’s distinctive approach, from early works of visual poetry to examples of his famous Cancellatura (or ‘Erasure’) whereby the words and letters of printed texts are judiciously obscured, revealing new meanings and visual rhythms.

Since 1969, Isgrò’s practice has also engaged with globes and maps, erasing place names in order to challenge perceptions of space, identity and history. Such works invite visitors to reconsider the terrain of knowledge and the politics of communication. The show presents around 40 of the artist’s iconic works, including a piece conceived specifically for the exhibition.

Isgrò has always maintained that his act of erasing “does not destroy but creates; it does not censor but reveals. Indeed, it is the most effective way to save the word – that conduit for the excellence of human thought – from the threat of an eminently visual mass media that threatens its very existence.”

Image: Emilio Isgrò, Preghiera per l’Europa, 2016, Archivio Emilio Isgrò