Directions: Antonio Rovaldi

July 6, 2012, to February 19, 2013
For Antonio Rovaldi (Italian, b. Parma, 1975; lives and works in Milan), frequent long-distance walks and bike rides provide an open-air studio in which he contemplates landscape, space, and distance. These elements are often key to his drawings, sculpture, photography, performance, and video art. In The Opening Day (2009), a pitcher takes aim at mass-produced ceramics displayed as if they are classical still-lifes. The artist uses the intangible arc of a fastball to create suspense. Perhaps a metaphor is also at play: has moving-image work, once considered to be outside the realm of fine art, now shattered this hierarchy?

About the Directions Series
Since its opening in 1974, the Hirshhorn has been committed to providing a platform for the artists of today. Directions, established in 1979 as a group installation and transformed in 1987 to highlight the work of a single artist or paired artists, has been a longstanding hallmark of the Museum’s exhibition program and partnership with living artists. Bringing a diverse range of emerging and established artists from around the world to Washington, the series provides a prominent space on the National Mall for new work and new ideas.