Piero Manzoni Symposium
Spazio Aperto
April 11, 2026, 11:00am–1:00pm
In conjunction with the exhibition Piero Manzoni: Total Space, Magazzino Italian Art will host a symposium dedicated to examining the art of Piero Manzoni. Bringing together scholars, curators, and critics, the program will explore the philosophical foundations of Manzoni’s work, his conceptual strategies, and the network of dialogues and exchanges that shaped his practice and reception.
Program
11:00am – Registration, coffee and welcome remarks
11:30am – Keynote address by Vesela Sretenovic
Piero Manzoni: Beyond the Limits—Total Space and the Ontology of Being
12:00pm – Presentation by Choghakate Kazarian
Piero Manzoni’s Rooms and the Rise of Immersive Art (1949–1969)
12:30pm – Conversation between Phong Bui, Ara Merjian and Richard Tuttle
On Manzoni’s practice—its conceptual stakes and its continuing resonance
During the symposium and for the entire days of April 11 and 12, Manzoni’s Base magica (Magical Base), currently on view at Magazzino, will be activated through a participatory photographic project, inviting visitors to become artworks themselves, if only for a few moments.
At 3:00pm on April 11, special guest violinist Daisy Jopling will present a live musical performance on the Base magica, becoming a musical work of art in a singular activation of the piece.
