Jean-Marie Barotte. Il segno e la forma. La sintesi dell’infinito. Curated by Viviana Gatica: SOLO SHOW | WIZARD LAB

Jean Marie Barotte (1954–2021) was born in Milan to a French father and an Italian mother. From a young age, he became an active figure in Milan’s cultural scene, particularly in the realm of experimental theatre.

In the Eighties, he emerged as a leading member of the theatre troupe directed by his teacher and mentor, the Polish director Tadeusz Kantor. With Kantor’s Cricot2 company, Barotte performed in Milan as well as at the MaMa Annex in New York. The New York Times recognized the director and the company’s actors in an article by Frank Rich, where Barotte's name was also mentioned.

In June 1987, he played two roles in the premiere of Machine of Love and Death during the international exhibition documenta 8 in Kassel, staged at the Staatstheater. By the late 1980s, after a decade of theatrical experimentation, Barotte sought to develop a personal artistic language. The non-realistic gestures characteristic of Kantor's stylized theatrical poetics, along with the "automaton-like" physicality of certain characters designed to evoke a deconstruction of life, became integral elements of a theatrical dialectic that Barotte later adapted and enriched with his own symbolic vocabulary.

 

The curator of the exhibition, Viviana Gatica, explains that the title, The Sign and the Form. The Synthesis of the Infinite, stems from “the artist's ability for developing an original expressive language. This language explores in depth the formal mechanisms of symbols and writing, elements rich in philosophical meaning. These components are seamlessly integrated into a rigorous abstract discipline, which serves as the structural foundation of the work. The resulting body of artworks intertwines formal and spiritual dimensions, inviting profound reflection on the nature of the sign and the artist's conceptual thought”.

With this first exhibition, WIZARD LAB announces the exclusive representation of The Estate of Jean-Marie Barotte (Fonds Barotte Madau FDBM) in Italy. This joint initiative will allow the gallery to promote and highlight the work of the French-Italian artist, known for his ability to combine traditional and experimental techniques across various artistic disciplines.

WIZARD LAB, in close collaboration with The Estate of Jean Marie Barotte FDBM, is committed to making his extensive body of work accessible to a broader audience through exhibitions in private and institutional spaces, art fairs, events, and promoting research.