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Through 60 works, the exhibition pays tribute to Alberto Biasi who, as one of the founders of the Padua-based Gruppo N, is one of Europe's most consistent kinetic optical artists. An anthology of the production of the great master, one of the undisputed protagonists of post World War II art in Italy.  Extended to April 30, 2022

The works on display and the four space-installations dating from 1959 - when Biasi formed the Gruppo N in Padua at a very young age - to 2014, provide an all-round account of the artist's activity centred on the investigation of perception, through works that poetically and scientifically address themes linked to vision.

The exhibition reconstructs Biasi's creative journey, from his early days to his most recent experiments. Inside the exhibition, visitors will encounter environments, such as Light Prisms (Tuffo nell'arcobaleno), Eco and Proiezione di Luci e Ombre, where Biasi explores the decomposition of form through light and the perceptive illusion that light itself helps to produce.

Lamellle e sovrapposizioni di piani capable of simulating movement, giochi di luce, illusioni ottiche tridimensionali, composizioni interattive animate the spaces of the Ara Pacis Museum, in a game of cross-references between tradition and experimentation: Trame - the first superimpositions of perforated paper -, Torsioni, Rilievi Ottico-Dinamici e Politipi, up to the Assemblaggi and the opere dell’ultimo periodo; contaminations of an artist who, while keeping alive the link with tradition, has had the privilege of diving into the future.

With a view to the dual role of the individual - creator and user at the same time - the exhibition also presents the successful encounter between two and three dimensions in the work Io sono tu sei.

The exhibition is divided into six sections that correspond to the different types of the artist's works and tell the story of his conceptual research. The realisation of these works began in the period preceding Group N, determining the expressions of kinetic art or programmed art and based on optical and luminous phenomena.

I Section. Trame
The "Trame" date from 1959 and represent the first experiments of the artist, who was very young at the time. The Plots are made up of superimpositions of materials belonging to the same type, such as cotton gauze, wire mesh and perforated paper, stacked and rotated progressively to create variable and progressive constellations.

II Section. Torsioni
The 'torsioni' develop classic geometric shapes, such as rhombuses, triangles and squares, and are made from double-sided plastic strips in almost always contrasting colours, combined in such a way as to create changing perceptual effects depending on the shift in viewpoint: it is not just art that moves, but it is the viewer's iteration with the work itself that sanctions creativity.

III Section. Ottico - Cinetici
The first reliefs are from the period of Group N and the works in the exhibition span the years from 1974 to 2014.
From a constructive point of view they are linear and luminous configurations placed on two different planes a few centimetres apart. Illusorily, the structures appear to be placed on a single level, which moves as the proliferation of images occurs due to the interference of the two planes.

IV Section. Politipi
As part of his optic-kinetic research, Biasi produced his first 'politipi' around 1965 and continued and deepened this research for over twenty years, producing a large number of works with the most variable forms.

V Section. Assemblages
Around the year 2000 Biasi gave rise to 'assemblages'.
The artist reworked the technique of acrylic painting, triggering a creative evolution that gave rise to works representing figural memories, accompanied by witty and surprising titles.

VI Section. Ambienti
The "ambienti" are a fusion between the space of the work of art and that of the viewer.
With these works, Biasi has been able to relate to the public, no longer treating them as mere spectators, but involving them in the very experience of a work of art.

The exhibition is sponsored by Gruppo Euromobil and Made in Italy School.