Pearl Lam Galleries is delighted to present the first solo exhibition of works byPino Pinelli in Asia. Titled “Pittura”, Italian for the very act of “making painting” in terms ofcraftsmanship, the exhibition presents 12 of the artist’s works, which are unified by afundamental colour, red, and a neutral colour, grey. The works on show span nearly forty yearsof the artist’s career and include both important and historical works from the 1970s and1980s, all of which will be presented in Asia for the first time.Pino Pinelli (b. 1938, Catania, Sicily, Italy) studied art in Catania and moved to Milan in 1963,where he is currently based. He started teaching art in various art academies in Milan whileworking as an artist. From the moment he moved to Milan, Pinelli was deeply influenced byFontana, Manzoni, Castellani, and other German artists belonging to the Zero Group. Zero wasa group of artists founded by Heinz Mack and Otto Piene that reacted to AbstractExpressionism by arguing that art should be void of colour, emotion, and individual expression.Originally a magazine founded in 1957 that later evolved into an art movement, Zerorepresented “a zone of silence and of pure possibilities for a new beginning,” as expressed byOtto Piene. Following their example, Pinelli engaged in a period of reflection and research atthe beginning of the 1970s. During the period of reflection, he focused on the essential linkbetween tradition and innovation, and he paid particular attention to the painted surface andthe vibrations of paintings. This period of reflection resulted in his “Topologies” and“Monochromes” series. The surfaces of the paintings are driven by a subtle uneasiness, as ifshowing the breath and tension of the works. These works have made Pinelli one of the leadingartists of Analytical Painting, an artistic trend defined by the art critic Filiberto Menna.Starting from 1976, Pinelli began to drastically decrease the size of his paintings. These worksare juxtaposed against each other and scattered into the space as if an explosion had investedhis large canvases and generated a dissemination of their fragments. The artist abandoned thecanvas and frame to focus on the concept of painting itself, challenging the idea of a paintinglimited by edges and opening up the perspective of a constantly moving painting inside thephenomenal changing world. Pinelli developed a new conception of painting that explores anabsorbing and never-ending space. He produces works that paradoxically squeeze to expand,and hide to reveal. Pinelli’s works are unsettling particles that wander through space in wide orsmall combinations, showing tactile physicality and the visual beauty of colours.Exhibition highlights include Pittura R (1974), which represents Pinelli’s reflection on theessence of painting in the early 1970s that eventually led to the Analytical Painting trend, aswell as Pittura 86 (1986), which is representative of the artist’s reduce-sized works after 1976.The exhibition also features more recent works by Pinelli, including Pittura R (2005, 2007,2008, 2009). These fundamental red, simple geometrical works showcase Pinelli’s consistentengagement in deep reflections about the meaning of painting itself. Such reflections andmental thoughts of the artist allow us to define Pittura as a “conceptual” exhibition.“My aim is to spread my work which represents the main feature of my research: from theMonochromes dating from the 1970s, to the Disseminations from 1976 characterised byelements scattered in the space as if they are rewriting a new ‘syntax of making painting’.”—Pino Pinelli, Artist“Pino Pinelli’s body of works experiments with the idea of painting and brings palettes to life.His persistence in trying to find new ways of painting is extremely impressive. It is our greatpleasure to present the renowned Italian artist’s first solo show of works in Asia.”—Pearl Lam, Founder of Pearl Lam GalleriesAbout Pino PinelliPino Pinelli, a member of the Analytic Painting Movement, was born in 1938 in Catania, Italy.After studying art in Catania, Pinelli moved to Milan in 1963, where he currently lives andworks. The rich culture of the sixties influenced Pinelli’s style and experimentation withpainting. Pinelli has exhibited not only in Italy but also internationally. Selected solo exhibitionsinclude Antologia Rossa (2015), Galleria Dep Art, Milano; Paint (2012), Lucca Center ofContemporary Art, Lucca, Italy; Pino Pinelli. La Pittura tra frammento e tensione unitaria(2007), A Arte Invernizzi, Milano; and Pino Pinelli (2001), APC Galerie, Cologne, Germany.Selected group exhibitions include A New Visual Language (2014), De Buck Gallery, New York;Images of Light (2012), Villa Clerici, Milan; Analytical Painting: 4 Main Players from Italy (2011),Forumkunst, Rottweil, Germany; and Normanni, Palermo | Teatro V. Emanuele (1998),Messina | Columbus Citizen Foundation, New York. Selected public collections include MARTMuseum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Trento and Rovereto, Italy; ZappettiniFoundation in Chiavari, Italy; Dresner Bank in Frankfurt, Germany; and Kreissparkasse inRottweil, Germany.About Pearl Lam GalleriesFounded by Pearl Lam, Pearl Lam Galleries is a driving force within Asia’s contemporary artscene. With over 20 years of experience exhibiting Asian and Western art and design, it is oneof the leading and most established contemporary art galleries to be launched out of China.Playing a vital role in stimulating international dialogue on Chinese and Asian contemporaryart, the Galleries is dedicated to championing artists who re-evaluate and challengeperceptions of cultural practice from the region. The Galleries in Hong Kong, Shanghai, andSingapore collaborate with renowned curators, each presenting distinct programming frommajor solo exhibitions, special projects, and installations to conceptually rigorous groupshows. Based on the philosophy of Chinese Literati where art forms have no hierarchy, PearlLam Galleries is dedicated to breaking down boundaries between different disciplines, with aunique gallery model committed to encouraging cross-cultural exchange.Contemporary Chinese Abstract art is heavily represented in the Galleries roster. InfluentialChinese artists Zhu Jinshi and Su Xiaobai, who synthesise Chinese sensibilities with aninternational visual language, are presented internationally with work now included in majorprivate and public collections worldwide. The Galleries has also introduced leadinginternational artists such as Leonardo Drew, Jenny Holzer, Carlos Rolón/ Dzine and YinkaShonibare MBE (RA) to markets in the region, providing opportunities for new audiences in Asiato encounter their work. Pearl Lam Galleries encourages international artists to create new workwhich engages specifically with the region-collaborating to produce thought-provoking,culturally relevant work.