Da uno a dieci: artists make carpets

“Da uno a dieci” starts out as a joke. It emanates from one of my passions — a passion for carpets and rugs that goes back a long way, stirred up by Seth Siegelaub.
Widely known as a gallerist, I am little-known as a collector.
Yet my colleagues, as well as the artists, know better.
I treasure a 1991 Rockenschaub and a 1993 red carpet or Moquette rossa by Alberto Garutti; I fly to South Africa and I discover a couple of young people, Igshaan Adams and Gerda Scheepers, who use fabrics in the unusual way. With Hans-Peter Feldmann, I have great fun creating lists and arranging plastic animal miniatures on red carpets.
While Stefano Arienti dyes Asian carpets in a mystifying black, Maurizio Donzelli overlays colours woven in Flanders, Giulio Caponi silently embroiders and modifies rare felts, Massimo Uberti designs a Città Ideale and Flavio Favelli reinvents a vintage rug in pink. Massimo’s carpet is a tribute paid by John Isaacs, who spoils an antique Kiz Ghiordes rug. To a large Sardinian tapestry, Antonio Marras superimposes my portrait. With Caterina Boetti Jonathan Monk tells a story, while Ariel Schlesinger burns another a few steps away. Together they create a tautology, i.e. two pages from an auction catalogue turn into rugs before our very eyes.
The exhibition weaves itself.
All we can do is invite you in and roll out the red carpet for you.
Actually, Wilfredo Prieto has already done that, hiding underneath all the dust gathered during the preparation.
First Alighiero, later Seth, now Massimo.
Tout se tient.