Emptiness and scraps. This is the starting point of Marion Baruch’s artistic vision, in which with immense grace, she challenges conventional notions of what is useful to give dignity to the neglected. 

A versatile and avant-garde artist, Marion Baruch was born in pro-Stalin Romania. At the age of 20, she sought refuge in Israel, where she cultivated her artistic skills under the mentorship of renowned painter Mordecai Ardon. In 1955, she won a scholarship at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, marking the beginning of her career in the artistic triangle of Rome-Milan-Paris. From 1993 to 2007, she frequented this vibrant artistic scene before settling in Gallarate, a small town in Lombardy. It was here, on the moraine hill of this small town, that Marion, together with her husband Aldo Cuccirelli, envisioned her home: an all-glass-and-iron villa designed by Carlo Moretti that, in the early 1960s traditionalist Lombardy province, caused quite a scandal.

The exhibition at Viasaterna Gallery, dedicated to Marion Baruch, presents her recent works from 2012 onwards, crafted entirely from textile scraps. Referring to them as mere visual compositions would be reductive. In fact, they embody an artistic practice that seeks to deconstruct and reimagine the concept of waste.

In a society that prioritizes performative efficiency and maximum productivity, Baruch imbues the scraps of what remains with evocative power. Those remnants, once part of processes or activities no longer satisfying the demand for consumption, become fragile yet scratchy sculptures.

Oranjegekte, Follia Arancione! (Orange Madness), is the title of one of Baruch’s recent creations (2023), which encapsulates her philosophy of resilience, rebirth, and transformation. Through a subtractive approach, the artist shaped into textile works, serving as a potent metaphor for humanity’s capacity to revitalize what was discarded.

At Viasaterna, these works intertwine like a melody, each bearing titles conceived from pure poetic intuition, bearing witness to a new chapter in Marion Baruch’s career. Despite facing partial loss of sight, she continues to channel the same creative fervor that embodies the noblest virtue of art: hope.

Opening image: Marion Baruch. PhotoPeter Colombo