Gruppo MID
1964 Milan, Italy
The collective Gruppo MID, formed by Antonio Barrese, Alfonso Grassi, Gianfranco Laminarca and Alberto Marangoni, names itself after the acronym for Mutamento, Immagine and Dimensione (Mutation, Image and Dimension). The group focuses on depicting spatial temporality through innovative materials and were an important contributor to the Kinetic and Programmed Art movement that furthered, through the use of technology and science, the initial explorations by the earlier generation of Op and Kinetic pioneers. At the core of Gruppo MID’s discourse is the notion of ‘Art as Research’, a philosophy which originated from the Bauhaus and is shared with Victor Vasarely and Carlos Cruz-Diez amongst others. In 1965 the collective joined the international New Tendency movement and exhibited in Nova Tendencija 3 at The Museum for Contemporary Art Zagreb.
Gruppo MID developed the Stroboscopic Structures which consisted of a surface with circling lights that spun rapidly when the viewer pushed a button in the centre. At the time, however, technical restrictions prevented the artworks from reaching their full potential. The group continued to exhibit internationally until 1972 when they parted ways and pursued successful individual creative careers. In 2000, Barrese and Marangoni re-established the collective, partly driven by the renewed interest in the Op and Kinetic Art movement that continues to date. Advancement in technology allowed the artists to realise their original vision and they commenced the process of restoring their historic works using programed motors, power inverters and LED lights. Disco Stroboscopico, presented at Puerta Roja in Movement (2018), is a prime example of a work originally conceived in 1968 and reconstructed in 2012.
Gruppo MID has exhibited in countless galleries and museums including a solo show, Gruppo MID: The origins of multimedia in 2007 at La Triennale di Milano. The collective has also participated in many historical shows such as Kinetic and Programmed Art in Italy 1958 – 1968, an international roaming exhibition that was first shown in 2000 at Galleria Niccoli in Parma, Italy; and would travel to Germany at the Ulmer Museum, Städtische Kunsthalle Mannheim and Staatliches Museum Schwerin; Japan’s Sompo Japan Museum of Art, Tokyo, Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art, Kofu, the Fukuyama Museum of Art, Hiroshima, and The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama.
Puerta Roja presented works by Yaacov Agam in the 2018 exhibtion, Movement in collaboration with Galerie Denise René.
Puerta Roja is presented Gruppo MID for the first time in Hong Kong as part of Movement (2018), a joint exhibition with Galerie Denise René.
