Prolific Italian curator Francesco Bonami has a penchant for performance. Earlier this month, we saw his his avant-guard work inaugurating Joseph Nahmad's new London space, and this time last year at Luxembourg & Dayan's 'language as artistry' exhibition.
This summer, Luxembourg & Dayan welcome Bonami back, to collaborate on an absurdist, sculpture-as-performance production, 'Melodrama', with 'Act I' taking place in the London space, and 'Act II' to follow in New York.
Wallpaper* was intrigued to know how such an ambitious, two-part show could be realised across continents. 'The difficult thing was to find the right works, and we decided to limit the display to just four in each location,' Bonami explains. 'So they had to be the right ones – works that could eventually compose one single show. But like in a play you can have some characters in the first act and others in the second.'
The London opening introduces a diverse range of objects, or 'characters', spanning the period 1966–2007, setting us up for an absurdist, Beckettian romp. On entering, the audience of gallery-goers is confronted by Maurizio Cattelan’s flailing, headless taxidermied horse. Opposite, Pino Pascali’s dolphin tail, Coda di Delfino, 1966, seems eager to escape through the wings, leaving nothing more than a trace. Alongside these decapitated beasts, we find a series of quiet photographs by Franco Vimercati, from his Ciclo Zuppiera (1983) soup terrine series. This chorus of Italian players is broken by the inclusion of Switzerland's sculpting duo Fischli/Weiss, and their inanimate black rubber Heart, 1987, which lies lifeless on a pedestal at the centre of the space.
The objects are staged in a way in which they can communicate easily. 'If you believe that objects can perform like actors then they will,' Bonami says. 'Look at Vimercati's soup terrine – isn't she like an actress in a neo-realist movie? If Walt Disney had been born in Italy he could have been the curator of a show like this. In his animation movies animals and objects are his actors; humans are marginal in a way'.
The first 'human' element is introduced in Act II, which raises its curtain in New York on 14 July. Vincenzo Gemito's 19th century bronze bust sits in unlikely conversation with another cast bronze piece by Jeff Koons. As yet unnamed work from Urs Fischer and Richard Serra complete the line-up of a truly A-list sculpting cast.
London's 'Act I' introduces a diverse range of objects, setting us up for an absurdist, Beckettian romp. Pictured: Coda di Delfino, by Pino Pascali, 1966. Courtesy Luxembourg & Dayan
Also included is Switzerland's sculpting duo Fischli/Weiss and their inanimate black rubber Heart, 1987, which lies lifeless on a pedestal at the centre of the space
Bonami muses, 'Look at Vimercati's soup terrine (series, pictured) – isn't she like an actress in a neorealist movie? If Walt Disney had been born in Italy he could have been the curator of a show like this. In his animation movies animals and objects are his actors; humans are marginal in a way'
INFORMATION
'Melodrama: Act I' is on view from 24 June – 20 August in London; 'Act II' is on view from 14 July – 17 September in New York. For more information, visit the Luxembourg & Dayan website
Photography: Will Amlot. Courtesy Luxembourg & Dayan
ADDRESS
Luxembourg & Dayan
2 Savile Row
London, W1S 3PA
-
The artistry of Japanese wineFine wine from Japan may not yet register highly on the radars of most oenophiles, but for those who know, it's a hugely rewarding and rich tapestry of flavour. Drinks expert, Neil Ridley visits London's Luna Omakase for the launch of a new dedicated Japanese wine pairing menu
-
In Los Angeles, Darling doesn’t want to be your average dinner spotVinyl, live-fire cooking, and California’s finest ingredients come together in this immersive new concept from a celebrated Southern chef
-
Ashlyn, the quietly romantic New York label from a Yohji Yamamoto alumnaThe focus of our latest Uprising column, Seoul-born Ashlyn Park worked for fashion greats before starting her own label in 2020. Showing her S/S 2026 collection at NYFW yesterday, she talks to Wallpaper* about marrying Japanese influences with the romance of Parisian savoir-faire
-
Five of the biggest art exhibitions to see in London in 2026From Marilyn Monroe, to David Hockney and Tracey Emin – get these art exhibitions in your diary now
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekWith the return of back-to-school, it's back to business for the Wallpaper* team, who’ve been making the rounds at fashion pop-ups and pavilion launches. Elsewhere, we’ve been indulging in new literature and old restaurants, and taking in a farewell exhibition at a landmark gallery...
-
From art to fashion, and back again: Jonathan Schofield’s figurative work is back in styleAfter graduating from London’s Royal College of Art, Jonathan Schofield began a career as a creative director at Stella McCartney. Now, he has returned to his first love, painting
-
Watch: artist Shezad Dawood lights up The Gaumont, King’s Road’s creatively focused new hubIn our short film, meet the artist, see his new work in the making, and discover more about The Gaumont
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekHere in the UK, summer seems to be fading fast. Moody skies and showers called for early-autumn rituals for the Wallpaper* team: retreating into the depths of the Tate Modern, slipping into shadowy cocktail bars, and curling up with a good book
-
‘A Single Man’ is now a ballet – we go behind the designAs ‘A Single Man’ is presented by The Royal Ballet and Factory International in London, here’s how its set designer brought protagonist George’s inner and outer worlds to life on stage
-
Artists imbue the domestic with an unsettling unfamiliarity at Hauser & WirthThree artists – Koak, Ding Shilun and Cece Philips – bring an uncanny subversion to the domestic environment in Hauser & Wirth’s London exhibition
-
Inside the fight to keep an iconic Barbara Hepworth sculpture in the UK‘Sculpture with Colour’ captures a pivotal moment in Hepworth’s career. When it was sold to an overseas buyer, UK institutions launched a campaign to keep it in the country
