Introduction

Pinacoteca Agnelli presents PISTARAMA, a major new outdoor site-specific work by Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster. Curated by Lucrezia Calabrò Visconti, the new work has been specially commissioned for the Pista 500, the iconic former FIAT car test track on the roof of the building. 

PISTARAMA, a monumental collage conceived specially for the north parabolic curve of the Pista 500, is the first panoramic artwork that Gonzalez-Foerster has created outdoors, and is the largest of her works to date, measuring over 150 metres in length. 

The collage takes its cue from the political and cultural history of Turin and extends to illustrate episodes and figures linked to social struggles across different times and geographies. Inspired by the tradition of muralism, the project brings together historical and fictional characters, works of art, documents and photographs. 

PISTARAMA celebrates the way in which the union of people and their collective action can become agents for social change, starting from two fundamental modes: the practice of writing in public space, and the shared movement of bodies marching in demonstration. 

Gonzalez-Foerster’s research for this new work began by studying the groups of workers who organised forms of anti-fascist resistance in the Lingotto factory in 1943, which is now the location of Pinacoteca Agnelli. The project contributes to the mission of the new Pinacoteca, which aims to bring to light episodes and stories from Lingotto and the former FIAT factory, creating a space for reflection within the history of the institution. 

PISTARAMA seeks to confront a history that must not be forgotten. Rather than being an exhaustive historical description, the work invites those who visit the Pista 500 to look at the past, bringing it back to life in the contemporary world: a place of memory to be completed together and a stimulus for new shared narratives. 

A free dedicated booklet that recounts all the figures and episodes included in the collage is available.

Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster
PISTARAMA
La Pista 500
Pinacoteca Agnelli
Lingotto Via Nizza, 230/103
10126 Turin
From Thursday May 4, 2023
www.pinacoteca-agnelli.it