The Voice of the MATERials

“Arte Povera, with its focus on using simple, often discarded materials, reflects a modern reinterpretation of materiality and process—one that echoes the Renaissance’s own experimental spirit, though rooted in different materials and contexts.”

Michelle Gagliano’s commitment to a sustainable artistic practice goes well beyond her revival of Renaissance paint-making techniques. It extends to her thoughtful reuse of materials sourced directly from her environment. In this series, she incorporates—for the first time—soil gathered from her own backyard in Virginia, grounding the work in a personal and ecological narrative.

In this way, Gagliano is deeply connected to the spirit of Arte Povera, an Italian movement that championed the use of everyday materials and challenged traditional notions of art. From her earliest works, she has integrated repurposed and salvaged elements, echoing Arte Povera’s concern with the physical essence of art-making. To source her materials, she often visits local manufacturers, collecting surplus or discarded items that would otherwise go to waste—transforming remnants into poetic matter.

— extract from the exhibition catalogue A casa, text by Julia Rajacic