If the boot fits . . . Luciano Fabro’s Italie

Abstract

From 1968 to 2005, Arte Povera artist Luciano Fabro made mixed-media sculptural installations featuring the well-known geographical ‘boot’ of Italy. He placed these curious maps, fitted with ironic titles, in various positions – hanging, tilted, inverted, lying on the ground – and locations. The works have elicited multiple interpretations, ranging from formal, material experiments and anecdotal vignettes to wry references to the darker side of Italian history. Fragmented and united, light and heavy, simple and complex, Fabro’s Italie pose deeper questions about the contradictions of Italy’s national identity as it struggles to emerge from its past into modern times.