Museo Correr

Museo Correr

Calligraphy exhibition THE WAY OF WRITING

Monica Dengo (Italy)

The work entitled ‘To wonder is to go’ explores the concept of “boundless writing”, expressed by the loss of definition of the edges of the letters, which dissolve into the space of the canvas.
By observing the strokes of the boundless writing, one can sense the gestures of the hand that gave birth to those marks, perceive the changes in speed and pressure, as well as the moment when the ink-laden brush touches the surface, generating denser and deeper strokes.
Boundless writing breaks free from the rigidity of the printed page, emerging from its textual cage to explore new expressive and conceptual horizons. The hierarchical organization of the text, with its orderly and rational arrangement, can be seen as a tangible representation of the logical thinking that permeates our contemporary society. However, this structure could also be considered a symptom of the persistent anthropocentric vision that pushes us to consider ourselves as the fulcrum of the universe. From a distance the ‘circular work looks like a flower, as if encroaching beyond the edges, the letters become a single shape. Some of the letters can still be read, coming to  make up the word “MERAVIGLIARSI”. Viewed up close, however, the black marks become more hazy and the word, losing definition, dissolves.


 

BIOGRAPHY

Monica Dengo (Camposampiero, Padua, Italy, 1966) is an artist, lecturer, curator and organizer of art events. Her main fields of interest are calligraphy, handwriting and markmaking. After attending a calligraphy and bookbinding school in London (1991-1992) and continuing with independent studies in the United States (1993-1998), she began an investigation into the connection people have with their handwriting. Her artistic research focuses on handwriting as a form of expression deeply connected with the wholeness of body and mind. Her work, both as an artist and as a curator, focuses on cross-cultural communication and the relationship people have with the writings of other cultures.