“Art does not offer alternative possibilities to the human condition; on the contrary, it is the result of that very condition.”
— Michele Zaza
Michele Zaza (Molfetta, 1948) is one of the most distinctive voices in Italian contemporary art. After studying at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, he developed in the 1970s a language that merges photography, performance, and installation, exploring the symbolic and spiritual dimensions of human existence.
He was invited to Documenta 6 (1977) and Documenta 7 (1982) in Kassel, and took part in the Venice Biennale (1980) with a solo room, as well as the Paris Biennale (1975) and the São Paulo Biennial (1977). In 1980 he presented Neo-terrestre at Leo Castelli Gallery in New York, followed by a solo exhibition at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (1981).
His works are included in major public collections such as the Fondation Emanuel Hoffmann (Basel), Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart (Berlin), Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Staatsgalerie (Stuttgart), and Kunsthaus (Zurich).
Through seminal series such as Cristologia, Universo estraneo and Cielo abitato, Zaza constructs a metaphysical theater where body and cosmos merge into a single poetic space of contemplation.