Conceived by Angela Madesani, curated by Angela Madesani, Annamaria Maggi and Stefano Pezzato, created by Centro per l’arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci in collaboration with Galleria Fumagalli and Spazioborgogno, the exhibition is a project of historical reenactment that brings together experimentations with the body and on the body made by the last artistic avant-garde of the twentieth century, proposing a significant set of photographs, films and documents of the major representatives of the heroic season of Actionism, Body Art and Performance: linguistic analysis, anthropological and social considerations. In most cases they are autobiographical works where the artists are also the protagonists of the works. A sort of revolution, within art, perhaps the last avant-garde indeed, which starts from America and spreads across Europe with a certain speed, from 1965 to 1980.

Although Body Art plays a decisive role in the exhibition, not all the artists present can be placed in this area, an example for everyone is that of Gilbert & George, who use their bodies for a broader investigation, of linguistic matrix, not attributable to any particular artistic field. The show offers a transversal rereading of that fundamental historical and artistic period, setting very different works in relation to each other – only in some cases they are apparently similar – starting from existing historical documents. Alongside the exquisitely photographic part, an area dedicated to artist cinema and the first experiments in video will be on view, as well as a documentary material, consisting of catalogs, books, invitations, and posters.

A wide-ranging survey through some great protagonists, internationally recognized, but also through some artistic figures to be rediscovered. Among the others, will be included works by Marina Abramovic, Vito Acconci, Vincenzo Agnetti, Eleanor Antin, Michael Badura, Joseph Beuys, Günter Brus, Giuseppe Chiari, Gianfranco Chiavacci, Giorgio Ciam, James Collins, Gino De Dominicis, Giuseppe Desiato, Valie Export, Gilbert&George, Dan Graham, Peter Hutchinson, Joan Jonas, Allan Kaprow, Ketty La Rocca, Urs Lüthi, Roberto Malquori, Fabio Mauri, Charlotte Moorman, Hermann Nitsch, Luigi Ontani, Roman Opalka, Dennis Oppenheim, Gina Pane, Giuseppe Penone, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Emilio Prini, Arnulf Rainer, Carolee Schneeman, Rudolf Schwarzkogler, Stelarc, Aldo Tagliaferro, Franco Vaccari, Francesca Woodman, Michele Zaza.