Miscellanea
When Thread, Color, and Word Intertwine
Alice Schivardi, Luciana Pretta, Luisa Lanarca
Three Artists in Dialogue
A cycle of three exhibitions curated by Giovanna Dalla Chiesa, bringing together the work of three artists—Alice Schivardi, Luciana Pretta, and Luisa Lanarca—each collaborating with the gallery for the first time.
According to Giovanna Dalla Chiesa:
“The art of painting, in its richness, has accustomed us to such a layering of elements that the
function of each is often obscured in favor of the network of meanings that sustains the overall
composition. In this exhibition, seemingly designed to highlight the contours of a feminine
constellation, each of the three artists is entrusted with the role of fully supporting one of these
elements against the subtle backdrop of painting: Alice Schivardi takes on the power of thread,
which in her ‘embroidery drawings’ replaces the pencil or pen, tracing figures that float in the air, suspended by transparent supports, marking the aerial and infinite dimension of space, as well as its concentration in small details. Luciana Pretta explores the flow of emotions within expanses of color that slide like a liquid blanket from top to bottom, from sky to earth, simulating the tectonics of a soft, welcoming environment capable of enveloping our space like tapestries. Luisa Lanarca’s task is to intertwine thread, color, and light, invoking poetic language through the art of weaving, transforming it into a call, transcribed according to the style of late 19th-century signs and affiches.
The ‘when’ in the title refers not to a general mode of thread, color, and word, but to the specific
moment and the particular event in which things will unfold—not only for the artists but also for the visitors, who will see and be invited to interpret the three different solo exhibitions, each lasting two weeks, intertwining their threads to bring out the variables within a common substrate.”
Chapter 1
ALICE SCHIVARDI
19 February — 8 March 2025
The exhibition features a selection of works that reflect Alice Schivardi’s distinctive language, her interest in intimate storytelling, and the creation of connections through drawing and embroidery.
The display includes “Coccinelle” (2010-2015), an installation made up of 32 embroidered ovals on tracing paper, framed in resin, which together form a mosaic of hidden memories and emotions. From the series “Unconditional Love” and “Black Series”, two embroidered works on tracing paper, in which the thread becomes a tool to explore the depths of affection and human relationships. In “Echo of Light”, a bee lands on a mouth, imbuing the tension between silence and the need for speech with symbolic and anthropological significance. Lastly, a group of bees in flight (embroidery drawings on tracing paper, pencil, cotton thread, metal frame): each one traces its own path and, while waiting to receive a name from its future owner, suggests a further reflection on the possible bond between the two species, human and animal.
Chapter 2
LUCIANA PRETTA
12 — 29 March 2025
The exhibition features a selection of recent works: three monumental vertical paintings (5 meters high) are arranged along an entire wall, unfolding like suspended tapestries. Placed side by side, they evoke the idea of a fluid triptych, where color and material flow in continuity, like a single large pictorial weave. As a counterpoint, there is a group of smaller paintings and an installation that includes some of her sculptural works.
Giovanna Dalla Chiesa observes: “Luciana Pretta was born a painter. Painting is the silent language in which her sensitivity naturally developed, gently curving around obstacles, finding refuge in the richness of emotions and dreams. Her painting makes no distinction between line and color, between drawing (reason) and color (emotion).
The Brazil she comes from—though of Italian origin—with its vast expanse, vibrant colors, ignorance of the passions and conflicts that fuel Greek tragedy, its absence of any rules of perspective, is a realm of spontaneous relationships, where culture favors not representation but song, music, and dance. It is a land where rituals and behaviors emerge in harmony with the natural world (and the human being), honoring both its form and essence.”
Chapter 3
LUISA LANARCA
2 — 19 April 2025
The exhibition features a selection of tapestries, created from 1980 to today using the two-shaft weaving technique and enriched with mixed techniques applied throughout the weaving process.
These works are the result of a creative journey that intertwines direct experience of the material with a theoretical exploration based on studies of Visual Perception and Gestalt, revealing a deeply layered exploration. In some pieces, inspired by the poetry of Emily Dickinson, thread, color, and light merge with poetic language, surfacing in the woven fabric and turning it into an invocation, evoking the signs and affiches of the late 19th century.
As Giovanna Dalla Chiesa observes: “Luisa Lanarca did not come to weaving later in life, but rather embraced it from the outset, studying under renowned masters such as Laura Marcucci Cambellotti and her Textile Workshop. What makes her journey exceptional is her analytical approach to it on a psychological level, thanks to her studies in Visual Perception and Gestalt, which she pursued at the Luigi Veronesi School in Milan.”
