Vuoti e Volumi – Dadamaino & Art Premier

Vuoti e Volumi, Dadamaino & l’Art Premier

A dialogue between contemporary and “primitive” art

From May 8 to June 7, at its gallery space in Via Borgonuovo, Dalton Somaré presents the exhibition “Vuoti e Volumi – Dadamaino & Art Premier.”

The project brings into dialogue works from the 1950s and 1960s by Dadamaino with a selection of African and Art Premier sculptures, focusing on the relationship between space, form, and perception.

Space: absence and presence

The works of the young radical artist are presented alongside so-called “primitive” sculptures, revealing a striking balance between two opposing ways of occupying visual space:

on one side, emptiness, subtraction, and spatial tension
on the other, volume, physical presence, and material density

This juxtaposition highlights unexpected affinities between seemingly distant artistic languages, connecting contemporary research with extra-European traditions.

Dadamaino and Spatialism

Dadamaino (Edoarda Maino, 1930–2004) was a central figure of the Milanese avant-garde in the postwar period.

The only female presence within a group of nonconformist artists, her work focused on perception and the spatial dimension of the artwork.

Through her adherence to the Spatialist manifesto promoted by Lucio Fontana, she developed a minimal visual language defined by monochrome surfaces and openings that transform emptiness into an active element of the composition.

A radical approach

Dadamaino’s artistic thinking is encapsulated in her well-known statement:

“The only way to continue making art is to produce unsellable works.”

This position reflects a rigorous and independent conception of artistic practice, which finds an intriguing resonance in the forms and functions of African ritual sculpture.