Paolo Grassino - Branco

Animal depictions in art have ancient origins, appearing even in primitive cave paintings. For religious reasons, various types of animals appear in the works of various ancient civilizations. It was especially in the Middle Ages, within the International Gothic style, that animal depictions became widespread as true portraits, both within works of art and in notebooks containing drawings and sketches. The presence of animals as subjects in art remained constant until the contemporary era. Paolo Grassini's sculptural production was often inspired by animal figures. The present work is part of the "Branco" series, which features the figure of the dog, used by the artist to create evocative installations.

The animal figure is often central to Paolo Grassino's artistic research, although there is no intention of naturalistic rendering in this sculptor's work. Instead, form is used as a means of expressing a powerfully symbolic and spiritual message. Paolo Grassino's subjects lack a specific identity, with generic features, and thus their appearance transcends the individual to take on broader, universal meanings. The strength of this meaning lies in the artist's exquisite formal care with which he creates his works. Indeed, the entire surface of his sculptures is covered with a complex pattern of lines or dynamic compositional rhythms, alternating between solids and voids. The strong symbolic import of Paolo Grassino's subjects does not prevent the artist from achieving excellent renderings of animal figures. Indeed, his dogs move very naturally, in complex poses, with a vital tension that also participates in the symbolic dimension and spiritual force that underpin these sculptures.

Paolo Grassino was born in Turin in 1967, and his father Alfredo introduced him to the arts at a young age. Since 1988, he has exhibited in solo and group shows, and in 1991, he joined the Accademia Albertina in Turin. In 2000, the GAM in Turin held a solo exhibition of his work, which brought his artistic research to the attention of national and international galleries and institutions. In 2005, he created the large installation Armilla on the façade of the Palazzo Bricherasio Foundation in Turin, and in 2008, Lorand Hegiy invited him to a solo exhibition in France at the Musée de Saint-Etienne. In 2008, he participated in the 15th Quadriennale d'Arte in Rome. In 2011, Luca Massimo Barbero dedicated a solo room to him at the MACRO in Rome, and in the same year, he participated in the Fourth Moscow Biennial. In 2011, his works were also exhibited in international museums such as the Frost Art Museum in Miami and the Loft Project ETAGI in St. Petersburg. Phillip Van den Bossche invited him to the 2012 edition of Beaufort 04—Triennial of Contemporary Art by the Sea in Ostend, and in 2013 the IIC in Madrid dedicated a solo exhibition to him. In 2019, he held a major solo exhibition in the historic rooms of Palazzo Saluzzo Paesana, showcasing many works that spanned the artist's 30 years of research. That same year, he participated in the major thematic exhibition "Disturbing Narrative" at the Parkview Museum in Singapore.

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