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Pino Pinelli’s first solo exhibition in Asia
Pearl Lam Galleries at SOHO 189

Hong Kong—Pearl Lam Galleries is delighted to present the first solo exhibition of worksby Pino Pinelli in Asia. Titled “Pittura”, Italian for the very act of “making painting” interms of craftsmanship, the exhibition presents 12 of the artist’s works, which are unifiedby a fundamental colour, red, and a neutral colour, grey. The works on show span nearlyforty years of the artist’s career and include both important and historical works from the1970s and 1980s, all of which will be presented in Asia for the first time.

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Pino Pinelli (b. 1938, Catania, Sicily, Italy) studied art in Catania and moved to Milan in1963, where he is currently based. He started teaching art in various art academies inMilan while working as an artist. From the moment he moved to Milan, Pinelli was deeplyinfluenced by Fontana, Manzoni, Castellani, and other German artists belonging to the ZeroGroup. Zero was a group of artists founded by Heinz Mack and Otto Piene that reacted toAbstract Expressionism by arguing that art should be void of colour, emotion, andindividual expression. Originally a magazine founded in 1957 that later evolved into an artmovement, Zero represented “a zone of silence and of pure possibilities for a newbeginning,” as expressed by Otto Piene. Following their example, Pinelli engaged in aperiod of reflection and research at the beginning of the 1970s. During the period ofreflection, he focused on the essential link between tradition and innovation, and he paidparticular attention to the painted surface and the vibrations of paintings. This period ofreflection resulted in his “Topologies” and “Monochromes” series. The surfaces of thepaintings are driven by a subtle uneasiness, as if showing the breath and tension of theworks. These works have made Pinelli one of the leading artists of Analytical Painting, anartistic trend defined by the art critic Filiberto Menna.

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Starting from 1976, Pinelli began to drastically decrease the size of his paintings. Theseworks are juxtaposed against each other and scattered into the space as if an explosionhad invested his large canvases and generated a dissemination of their fragments. Theartist abandoned the canvas and frame to focus on the concept of painting itself,challenging the idea of a painting limited by edges and opening up the perspective of a constantly moving painting inside the phenomenal changing world. Pinelli developed a new conception of painting that explores an absorbing and never-ending space. He produces works that paradoxically squeeze to expand, and hide to reveal. Pinelli’s works are unsettling particles that wander through space in wide or small combinations, showing tactile physicality and the visual beauty of colours.

Exhibition highlights include Pittura R (1974), which represents Pinelli’s reflection on the essence of painting in the early 1970s that eventually led to the Analytical Painting trend, as well as Pittura 86 (1986), which is representative of the artist’s reduce-sized works after 1976. The exhibition also features more recent works by Pinelli, including Pittura R (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009). These fundamental red, simple geometrical works showcase Pinelli’s consistent engagement in deep reflections about the meaning of painting itself. Such reflections and mental thoughts of the artist allow us to define Pittura as a “conceptual” exhibition.

“My aim is to spread my work which represents the main feature of my research: from the Monochromes dating from the 1970s, to the Disseminations from 1976 characterised by elements scattered in the space as if they are rewriting a new ‘syntax of making painting’.” —Pino Pinelli, Artist

“Pino Pinelli’s body of works experiments with the idea of painting and brings palettes to life. His persistence in trying to find new ways of painting is extremely impressive. It is our great pleasure to present the renowned Italian artist’s first solo show of works in Asia.” —Pearl Lam, Founder of Pearl Lam Galleries.

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About Pino Pinelli

Pino Pinelli, a member of the Analytic Painting Movement, was born in 1938 in Catania, Italy. After studying art in Catania, Pinelli moved to Milan in 1963, where he currently lives and works. The rich culture of the sixties influenced Pinelli’s style and experimentation with painting. Pinelli has exhibited not only in Italy but also internationally. Selected solo exhibitions include Antologia Rossa (2015), Galleria Dep Art, Milano; Paint (2012), Lucca Center of Contemporary Art, Lucca, Italy; Pino Pinelli. La Pittura tra frammento e tensione unitaria (2007), A Arte Invernizzi, Milano; and Pino Pinelli (2001), APC Galerie, Cologne, Germany. Selected group exhibitions include A New Visual Language (2014), De Buck Gallery, New York; Images of Light (2012), Villa Clerici, Milan; Analytical Painting: 4 Main Players from Italy (2011), Forumkunst, Rottweil, Germany; and Normanni, Palermo | Teatro V. Emanuele (1998), Messina | Columbus Citizen Foundation, New York. Selected public collections include MART Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Trento and Rovereto, Italy; Zappettini Foundation in Chiavari, Italy; Dresner Bank in Frankfurt,Germany; and Kreissparkasse in Rottweil, Germany.

About Pearl Lam Galleries

Founded by Pearl Lam, Pearl Lam Galleries is a driving force within Asia’s contemporary artscene. With over 20 years of experience exhibiting Asian and Western art and design, it isone of the leading and most established contemporary art galleries to be launched out ofChina.

Playing a vital role in stimulating international dialogue on Chinese and Asiancontemporary art, the Galleries is dedicated to championing artists who re-evaluate andchallenge perceptions of cultural practice from the region. The Galleries in Hong Kong,Shanghai, and Singapore collaborate with renowned curators, each presenting distinctprogramming from major solo exhibitions, special projects, and installations to conceptually rigorous group shows. Based on the philosophy of Chinese Literati where artforms have no hierarchy, Pearl Lam Galleries is dedicated to breaking down boundariesbetween different disciplines, with a unique gallery model committed to encouragingcross-cultural exchange.

Contemporary Chinese Abstract art is heavily represented in the Galleries roster.Influential Chinese artists Zhu Jinshi and Su Xiaobai, who synthesise Chinese sensibilitieswith an international visual language, are presented internationally with work now includedin major private and public collections worldwide. The Galleries has also introduced leadinginternational artists such as Leonardo Drew, Jenny Holzer, Carlos Rolón/ Dzine and YinkaShonibare MBE (RA) to markets in the region, providing opportunities for new audiences inAsia to encounter their work. Pearl Lam Galleries encourages international artists to createnew work which engages specifically with the region-collaborating to produce thought-provoking, culturally relevant work.

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