Paolo Grassino - Shards Sun 27 June 2021 - Tue 27 July 2021

Paolo Grassino (b. 1967, Italy) is an Italian artist who works across a wide range of materials–aluminium, steel I-beam, glass, concrete, wood and fabric, amongst others. In his work, there is often a reference to the human form thrown into the maelstrom of a material world.

In the work T (2019), two men are linked by an I-beam that penetrates their heads, thoughts and identities–they are linked and seemingly therefore identical in their materiality and location, but struggle through their postures to assert their individuality. Other works, such as Senza Nome [Nameless] (2020) and Verbo [Verb] (2020) present the head of a man penetrated by shards of glass or fabric, which stands metaphorically as a reference to human tears. In Grissino's work, there is a strong dialogical play between opposites constantly highlighted by either the material used in construction, or the shape of the work–strength versus fragility, natural versus industrial, or vitality versus stiffness.

Grissino has been exhibited his work in venues internationally, including the Fourth Moscow Biennial (2011), the Frost Art Museum in Miami (2011), the St. Petersburg Loft Project ETAGI (2011), and the Rivalta Castle in Turin (2010), among others.