Silvio Wolf

Silvio Wolf (1952) lives and works in Milan and New York. He studied Philosophy and Psychology in Italy and Photography and Visual Arts in London, where he received the Higher Diploma in Advanced Photography from the London College of Printing.

Until the mid 1980s he used exclusively photography to explore the laws, language and two-dimensional nature of the image. His work moved in directions different from those of tradition, which favoured the documentary and narrative value of the photographic image. Instead, he has pursued a more subjective and metaphorical view of reality, producing polyptychs and large-format works that explored the limits of photographic representation, challenging the indexical nature of the photograph through an interest in the abstract and the visible and invisible. He showed internationally, including New Image in 1980 in Milan, Aktuell ‘83 in Munich and Documenta VIII in 1987 in Kassel.

Since the late 1980s to the present he has introduced a wider range of mediums, using the moving image, still projections, light and sound, either individually or in combinations. He has shifted from the pure two-dimensional format of photography to involve social and architectural spaces, creating multimedia projects and sound installations that engage the specificities and history of the venues he operates in. He responds to the personality that a place is capable of expressing and the need to establish a symbolic and experiential relationship with it. In his site-specific projects, as in all his photo-based work, the issues of Absence, Elsewhere and Threshold are always central.

He has shown and created temporary and permanent installations in galleries, museums and public spaces in Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. In 2009 he was invited to participate in the 53rd Venice Biennale.

The artist currently teaches at the European Institute of Design in Milan and is a visiting professor at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

2017

Double Truth, Unimedia Modern, Genova – Vision Quest, Genova

2016

Origini, Fondazione Calderara – Casa Museo di Vacciago, Novara (curated by Cristina Casero)
Double Doors, Jewish Theological Seminary, New York (curated by Rebecca Pristoop)

2015

La Realtà / Reality, Otto Gallery, Bologna

2014

Double Blind, Photo & Contemporary, Turin
Present Perfect, Photographica FineArt, Lugano

2013

Us, Bruce Silverstein, New York

2011

Sulla Soglia, PAC, Milan (curated by Giorgio Verzotti)

2010

Art-Quitectonica (with Monika Bravo), The Lobby Gallery @ 750 Seventh Ave, New York (curated by Ombretta Andruff)

2009

Prima del Tempo, Galleria Nicoletta Rusconi, Milan
Insight, Italian Cultural Institute, San Francisco

2008

Scala Reale, Bentley Hotel, Genoa
La Doppia Vita, Auditorium Conciliazione, Rome
Immagini dell’Invisibile (with Jean Odermatt), Istituto Svizzero, Rome
Voyager, Robert Mann Gallery, New York

2007

L’Invisibile, Fotografia Italiana, MiArt, Milan

2006

John 14, Biblioteca Cantonale, Bellinzona
Scala Zero, Italian Academy at Columbia University, New York
Thresholds, Robert Mann Gallery, New York
Paradiso, Galleria Gottardo, Lugano

2005

Screens and Mirrors, Arendt & Medernach, Luxembourg (curated by Paul di Felice)

2004

Scala Zero, Fotografia Italiana, Milan

2003

Le Due Porte / The Two Doors, Fotografia Italiana, Milan

2001

Double Breath, La Chambre Blanche, Quebec City
Fondazione del Tempo, Fondazione Pistoletto, Biella
Scala Zero, Galerie Clairefontaine, Luxembourg
Icons of Light, Keith Johnson, New York

1999

Grida dal Tempio, Piazza Affari, Milan
The Zone of Shadow, Musée du Québec, Québec
The Elsewhere, Royal Festival Hall, London (curated by Johanna Bernstein)

1998

Luogo Parola, Chiesa Valdese, Milan

1995

Luci Bianche, Galleria Credito Valtellinese – Palazzo delle Stelline, Milan

1993

Azuleyes, Casa Cultura Bellreguard, Valencia
Belvedere 288, Galleria La Polena, Genoa
Origini, Gian Ferrari Arte Contemporanea, Milan

1992

Condomini, Piero Cavellini, Brescia

1991

Stelle Braille, Sala CI, Arte Estetica, Milan
Azuleyes, Pasqual Lucas Espai, Valencia
Icone di Luce, Alberto Weber, Turin

1990

Scale Reali al Gratosoglio, three permanent urban installations, Milan
Camera Sveva, Permanent installation, Vertical Museum, Sheraton Hotel, Bari

1989

Enclave, Galleria Piero Cavellini, Milan
Generazioni di Luce, Galleria  Alberto Weber, Turin

1988

Annunciazione Lagrange, Marginalia delle Forme d’Arte, Turin

1987

Grande Muro Occidentale, permanent urban installation, Civitella d’Agliano, Viterbo
La Verità, permanent urban installation, Civitella d’Agliano, Viterbo

1984

Mailand Aktuell / Milan Nowdays, Galerie Van Marwich, Munich

1983

Mental Space, Galerie Perspektief, Rotterdam
Acqua, Studio Marconi , Milan

1982

Spazio Mentale, Mercato del Sale, Milan

1981

Maroc, Galerie Medamothi, Montpellier

2018

WunderMoRE (The Independent) – MAXXI – Museo Nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, Rome (curated by V.Rossi, M.Scotti I.Bignotti, E.Modena)
Work in Progress – La Collezione d’Arte Contemporanea San Patrignano, La Triennale, Milano (curated by Clarice Pecori Giraldi)

2017

Effetto Man Ray #2, Spazio Contemporanea, Brescia  (curated by P. Cavellini)

2016

Mercy in-sight, Università Cattolica, Milan (curated by E. Di Raddo)
Ai limiti del Visibile, Galleria Biffi, Piacenza (curated by G. Foschi)
I Lumi di Chanukkah, Palazzo Ducale, Mantova (curated by D. Carmi, P.Assmann)
Privitera, Uberti, Wolf, Spazio Borgogno, Milan (curated by P. Borgogno)

2015

de-Formations, Bruce Silverstein, New York  (curated by D. Brandt)
Zoom, Fondazione Remotti, Camogli (curated by F.Pasini)
Homage to the Square, Photo and Contemporary, Turin (curated by V.Tazzetti)
Luce. Scienza Cinema Arte, Palazzo del Governatore, Parma (curated by C.Casero, J.Malvezzi)

2014

Konstellationen, Galerie f 5.6, München (curated by Katrin Weber)
Opere e progetti del Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea 2004-2014, Palazzo della Triennale, Milan (curated by R.Valtorta)

2012

Cantieri del ‘900, Gallerie d’Italia, Milan (curated by F. Tedeschi)
The Edge of Vision, Schneider Museum of Art, Oregon (curated by L. Rexer)

2011

The Edge of Vision, Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Winter Park, Florida (curated by L. Rexer)
In a Favourable Light, Nicoletta Rusconi, Milan

2010

Abstract, Galerie f 5.6, München (curated by F. Baur, N.Stanner)
The Edge of Vision, Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, Arizona  (curated by L. Rexer)

2009

Collaudi, Padiglione Italia, 53a Biennale di Venezia (curated by L. Beatrice, B. Buscaroli)
The Edge of Vision, Aperture Gallery, New York (curated by L. Rexer)
Beyond the Document: Color Field Photography, Paul Robeson Center for the Arts – Arts council of Princeton  (curated by E. Cramos)
Clear Light, European Photography, Reggio Emilia (curated by G. Calvenzi, M.Mulas, L.Serani)
Dopo la Sicilia. A Milano, Galleria Credito Valtellinese – Palazzo delle Stelline, Milan (curated by M. Meneguzzo)

2008

Fotografia Astratta. Dalle Avanguardie al Digitale, Scavi Scaligeri,  Verona (curated by R.Valtorta)
Tracce d’Acqua: “Chance”, Installazione personale, Fiume Stura, Valle Stura, Cuneo (curated by T. Conti)
Nessuna onda può pettinare il mare, Fotografia Italiana, Milan (curated by L. Fassi)
Una Historia Privada, Teatro Circo Prince,  Madrid (curated by A. e G. Cotroneo)
Three Generations of Italian artists facing time, Art Gallery Society for  Macedonian Studies,  Salonicco (curated by G. Foschi,  N. Kassianou)
Una Storia Privata, Museo Carlo Bilotti, Rome (curated by A. e G. Cotroneo)
Ma liberaci dal Male, Galleria San Fedele, Milan (curated by G. Foschi, A. Dall’Asta)
Spazio Bianco, Four Emotions Palace Galerie, St. Moritz (curated by G. Verzotti)

2007

BMW–Paris Photo Prize for Contemporary Art Photography, Carrousell du Louvre, Paris
Le Stanze della Fotografia, ArtVerona (curated by F. Castelli)
Less #1, Gwangju Design Biennale, Seoul (curated by G. Scardi)
ViviMi, installazione personale: Voce delle Parole, Palazzo della Triennale, Milan (curated by E. Carmi)

2006

Un monde non-objectif en photographie II, Galerie Tessa Herold, Paris (curated by P. Piguet)
TransForm, Arendt & Medernach, Luxembourg (curated by P. di Felice)
Alterazioni, Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea, Cinisello Balsamo, Milan (curated by R. Valtorta)
Une Histoirre Privée: La Photographie Contemporaine Italienne dans la Collection Cotroneo, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris (curated by A. e G. Cotroneo)
Start@Hangar. Arte a Milano, Hangar Bicocca, Milan (curated by G. Verzotti)
Less. Strategie alternative dell’abitare, PAC,  Milan (curated by G. Scardi)
10 Artisti della Galleria Fotografia Italiana, Auditorium Conciliazione, Rome (curated by F. Castelli)

2005

Contempor’art. Dal privato al pubblico, Palazzo Bonoris, Brescia (curated by P. Cavellini)
Italy, Spaces and Places, Robert Mann Gallery, New York (curated by C. Traub)

2003

Nodi, Galleria Martano, Turin (curated by A. Candiano, L. Dematteis)
CITTa’ZIONI, Loggia dei Mercanti, Milan (curated by M. di Marzio)
PHotoEspaña 2003, Centro Cultural Conde Duque, Madrid (curated by E. Viganò)

2002

Il Fantasma della libertà, Spazio Erasmus Brera, Milan  (curated by M. Meneguzzo)
International Meetings of Photography, City Art Gallery, Plovdiv, Sofia (curated by C.Zanfi)
Utopie Quotidiane, PAC, Milan (curated by V. Fagone, A. Madesani)
Il Tempo della Profezia, Installazione personale: Oggi, Ex Cinema Moderno, Monferrato (curated by T. Conti)
“Today and Tomorrow”, installazione personale: Sunday by Sunday, All Saints Church,  London (curated by V. De Circasia)

2001

Monumentos Futuros Esperia, Collegi d’Architectes de Catalunya,  Barcelona  (curated by E. Biffi Gentili)
Points of  View, Künstlerhaus, Dortmund (curated by P. Schmieder)
Experimental Photography in Italy 1970-2000, Villa Savorgnan, Lestans   (curated by I. Zannier)
La geografia degli Artisti, Galleria Milano, Milan (curated by F. Tedeschi)
Luxemburg, Les Luxembourgeois, installazione personale: Angels of Time, Urban spaces, Luxembourg (curated by E. Lunghi)

2000

More Ethics Less Aesthetics, Biennale di Architettura, Padiglione U.S.A., Venice (curated by M. Fucksas)
Formae, Galerie Haus am Askanischen Platz, Berlin (curated by A. Beolchi, M. Cecchetti)
La Spiritualità Nell’Arte, Santuario di Oropa, Biella (curated by A. Fiz)
Problemi di luogo, Lorenzelli Arte, Milan (curated by A. Madesani)

1999

The Image After, SFCamerawork, San Francisco L. Delgado (curated by J. L. Reed)
Focus on Italy, Angel Orensanz Foundation, New York (curated by E. Biffi Gentili)
II Biennale Internationale de la Photographie et des Arts visuels, installation: Chantier-Marché, Coeur Saint-Lambert, Liège (curated by E. Lunghi)
32 Italian Photographers – A  Tribute to P.Lambert, Canadian Centre for Architecture,  Montréal (curated by P. Costantini)

1998

Fotografia e Arte in Italia 1968-1998, Galleria Civica, Modena (curated by F. Maggia, V. Guadagnini
Pagine di fotografia italiana, Galleria Gottardo, Lugano (curated by R. Valtorta)
Due o tre cose che so di loro, PAC, Milan (curated by M. Meneguzzo)

1997

VII Biennale Internazionale di  Fotografia, installazione personale: Stazione di Berlino,  Bricherasio, Turin (curated by D. Curti)
Oscar, La Nuova Pesa,  Roma
Ezra Pound e le Arti, Palazzo Bagatti Valsecchi, Milan (curated by A. Beolchi, M. Cecchetti, V. Scheiwiller)

1996

XII Quadriennale, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome (curated by L. Pratesi )

1994

Entre Image et Matièr, Centre Internazional D’Art Contemporaine, Montréal  (curated by S. Parent )
Mistery and Mith, Museum of Art,  Fukuyama/Museum, Chiba/Museum of Art,  Kochi/City Museum,  Iida, Japan  (curated by F. Tanifuzi)

1992

Carambolage, installazione personale: Baden-Baden, Kunsthalle Baden-Baden (curated by T. Camps, I Mirò,  A. Von Fürstemberg)

1991

Europäische Wekstatt Ruhrgebiet , Städtische Kunsthalle, Recklinghausen (curated by F. Ullrich)
Now in Italy. Transavanguardia and After, Kodama Gallery, Osaka (curated by G. Niccoli)
Lo Specchio Infedele, PAC, Milan (curated by G. Scimé)

1990

TAC ‘90. Taller d’Art Contemporain, Palacio del la Scala, Valencia, Spain (curated by A. D’Avossa)

1989

L’insistenza dello sguardo. Fotografia italiana 1939-89, Museo Fortuny, Venice / Museo Alinari, Florence (curated by P. Costantini, S. Fuso, S. Mescola, I. Zannier)

1987

DOCUMENTA 8, Museum Fridericianum, Kassel (curated by M. Schneckenburger)

1986

Experimental Italian Photography, Shadai Gallery, Tokyo (curated by G. Scimé)

1985

L’Italie Aujourd’hui, Centre National d’Art, Nice (curated by O. Calbrese)
European Edge, Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego (curated by P. Rittermann)
Nuovi Argomenti, PAC, Milan (curated by M.Meneguzzo)

1983

AKTUELL  ‘83. Kunst aus Mailand, München, Wien, Zürich, installazione personale: B.A.C.H, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich  (curated by V. Fagone)

1981

Linee della Ricerca Artistica in Italia 1960/80, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome (/curated by A. Quintavalle)

1980

Nuova Immagine, Palazzo della Triennale, Milan (curated by F. Caroli)

1979

Iconicittà, Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea, Ferrara (curated by L.Ghirri)