Eva Marisaldi. Grigio nonlineare

The work of Eva Marisaldi (Bologna, 1966) moves in the space of minimal gesture, of insinuation, of doubt. With interventions that are both subtle and complex, the artist depicts her world through diversified modes of expression, ranging from the construction of simple objects to more structured installations, using heterogeneous media such as video, drawing or embroidery. Questioning issues such as dialogue and communication, Eva Marisaldi has long been investigating the possibilities of individual and collective reflection within the exhibition space: relating to it in a complex and respectful manner, she suggests a broad and multiform perception.

Grigio nonlineare (Nonlinear Gray), curated by Lorenzo Giusti and Arabella Natalini, is an intervention on the floor, conceived as a kind of diagram, a walkable path that develops over the entire surface of the floor through 64 phrases and 16 drawings.
In the foyer, the diaphragm space separating the street from the exhibition rooms, a robotic device designed by Enrico Serotti (a long-time collaborator) welcomes us with a rhythmic movement of monochrome ribbons. Airy, impersonal movements are originated by software that, like a light gymnast, makes the ribbons move through space, offering a kind of open, “graceful and aseptic” welcome.

Starting with the first sentence traced on the floor, “I will tell you about it at length”, the visitor is invited to enter and follow a composite path, where the written words, of heterogeneous origin, offer indications open to personal interpretation.
In a corner of the room, one can also listen to an incessant stream of ghost words, particles of words sampled and re-processed by software that then leaves it up to the public to recompose them, assigning them a complete meaning.

With Nonlinear Grey, Marisaldi imagines visitors as shrewd readers who, by interacting with the proposed patterns, participate personally in the creation of the story. In the background, the “collective buzz” of texts and sounds offers a reflection on the need to strip away information, proposing, within this “written geography”, a possible personal re-elaboration, a re-reading of experience and of individual and collective paths.

In order to further extend his invitation, the artist requested the translation of the texts that make up the work into the languages spoken by some of the communities living in Florence, and in particular in District 3, which hosts the EX3 headquarters.