Mariapia Borgnini. L’eco dei richiami

The exhibition dedicated to Mariapia Borgnini is part of the thematic explorations of contemporary artists connected by birth or work to the Ticino and Insubria regions.

It presents a focus on the work of the artist Mariapia Borgnini, specifically created for the exhibition as a sort of site-specific installation. The creative journey of Mariapia Borgnini (Bellinzona, 1952) is marked by thematic cycles, sometimes requiring years of elaboration. This is the case with the collection of works composing the exhibition project Eco dei richiami, a series of works created between 2012 and 2023, centered on the use of the emergency blanket as both a pictorial medium and an expressive tool.

In 2012, Mariapia Borgnini began using the emergency blanket in some of her works. The material characteristics of the blanket—light refraction, golden and silver reflections, strength and lightness, the rustling produced by air or manipulation—along with the layered meanings associated with the object and its use—protection, warmth, cooling, despair, hope—offered the artist numerous expressive possibilities. The subjects of her individual works are elements of nature, plants or animals, or objects linked to religious worship, such as ex-votos or dress patterns. Mariapia Borgnini's creative process is rooted in the relationship between thought and word, and in this exhibition at Spazio Officina, works where the connection between writing and visual art is central are featured. The exhibition also includes an autobiographical work titled Burda and a sound installation, Pioggia battente, inspired by the rustling of the emergency blanket, evoking the sound of the sea and wind.

Mariapia Borgnini lives and works in her studio in Lugano. After attending the Brera Academy in Milan, she has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Switzerland and abroad since the mid-1980s. From 2001 to 2009, she was a member of the Federal Art Commission. From 2005 to 2015, she served on the jury of the Manor Ticino Prize. From 2019 to 2021, she was a member of the Visual Arts Subcommittee of the Canton of Ticino.