Grazia Toderi

“Piazza della Repubblica is bright, full of points of light that draw the frenetic activity of this place. I wondered what sense a work of mine could make in this space, and at one point I felt the presence of an architectural body observing the square from above. It was the dome of a church that remained in a dark upper plane, different from the lower one that determined all the activities of the city”. 

The Basilica Mauriziana is located near the square where one of Europe’s largest markets takes place every day, a place of exchange and relations in the heart of the city, in a neighbourhood that has grown over the years, strengthening its multicultural identity. Emerging in the darkness above the dome is the work ...?... by Grazia Toderi: a red question mark, which is not motionless but changes thanks to an animation programme of lights, which make it alive and always different, as if it were renewed at every glance. From the top of the Basilica, the work ...?... seems to silently observe the bustle of daily life that pervades the square, like an open invitation to ask questions without necessarily arriving at a single answer. It is a sign that poetically intends to show the value of doubt and hesitation in the face of the complexity of reality. Iconographic reference already present in other works by the artist such as Quoi? (2003), the question mark is intended to symbolise common personal and shared questions concerning everyday life, and also to show how continuous doubt is the driving force behind the desire for knowledge and research, which is applied in the scientific, political, spiritual, artistic and cultural fields. 

Through video, photography, drawing and light, the works of Grazia Toderi (Padua, 1963) offer a reflection that combines intimate and personal visions with a collective imagination in dialogue with the evolution of technological language and contemporary media culture. In her video works, light and movement appear on layered traces of cities and architecture, connecting earth and sky. Grazia Toderi has exhibited in major international institutions, receiving numerous awards, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 1999. 

Davide Quadrio