Biography of Massimo Bartolini
Massimo Bartolini (born 1962 in Cecina, Italy) is an internationally recognized Italian artist famed for his immersive manipulations of artistic space. Although best known for his large-scale installations he dabbles in a range of media from sculpture, to performance, drawing, and photography. For Bartolini, the individual viewer experience is paramount. It is not unusual for him to confront his viewers with a variety of sounds, lights, colors, and smells, as much intended to draw them in as to disorientate. Examples of this include the use of tilted floors and the introduction of distinct smells such as perfume; and even an instance where he experimented with the viewers' own physicality by attaching devices to their heels, which consequently altered the light within the exhibition space. Much of Bartolini's oeuvre revolves around sculptural performances or "living sculpture" whereby his creations are made up of people.
Massimo Bartolini's works were featured in the 2009 and 2013 Venice Biennale, Art 37 Basil and Manifesta 4, as well as documenta 13 in 2012. Other selected exhibitions include the MoMA PS1 Contemporary Art Centre, New York; the Palazzo Cusani, Milan; the Museo Marino Marini, Florence; Magazzino d' Arte Moderna, Rome; Frith Street Gallery, London; and Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Turin.
