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Matteo Pericoli

Curated by Alice Avaldi, Writers' Windows is Matteo Pericoli's first exhibition in Milan, his home town: his detailed drawings inaugurate the new Casa dei Libri, Andrea Kerbaker's new space in the city.

Milan's new space Casa dei Libri, founded by Italian writer Andrea Kerbaker, opened its doors to the public last week with the exhibition Writer's Windows, a series of detailed, precise drawings by Matteo Pericoli depicting several vistas from windows pertaining to writers all around the world. Curated by Alice Avaldi, and with exhibition design by architects Matteo Ferrario and Salvatore Virgillito, the exhibition aims to place the artist's works in a domestic atmosphere, creating a strong bond between the exhibition and the space, the drawings and the house, the intimate vocation of the Casa dei Libri, which will be dedicated to meetings and specific exhibition projects.

When Matteo Pericoli's book Manhattan Unfurled was released in the USA, more than 50,000 copies were sold. Following that visionary image of the city's skyline along the Hudson river, Pericoli worked on a project for London, and finally arrived at the idea behind the Writers' Windows project.

Pericoli was inspired by this idea when he was moving from his house on 102nd street in New York. Looking out of the window, he thought: "How great it would be if I could capture the view by simply peeling off an imaginary thin film from the glass, rolling it up, and then taking it to our new place". From this desire the artist derived his idea to try to draw New York and other locations through windows.

Matteo Pericoli, <em>Writers’ Windows</em>, installation view at Casa dei Libri, Milan — Matteo Pericoli, *Writers’ Windows*, installation view at Casa dei Libri, Milan

For Pericoli, "there is no such thing as a "window view" without a frame. "That particular hole with that particular size and frame (our window), placed in that particular location in our wall, at that particular height from the ground, created — like a camera obscura held high up in the sky by some intricate scaffolding — that one and only arrangement of New York City landscape. And only by drawing it could I merge into one single frame all of those perspectives."

Pericoli portrayed the views that some of the most important authors worldwide have when they are writing. It is something unexpectedly intimate, to the extent that some refused Pericoli's request: "In several cases, people who declined to participate in this project gave a reason that almost made me happier than a yes. It usually went like this: "I am sorry, but I would rather not share a personal aspect of my life." Which seems to me perfectly understandable and right. After all, what lies beyond that thin sheet of glass mounted on our window frame belongs to our inner selves, and not to the outside world".

Pericoli portrayed the views that some of the most important authors worldwide have when they are writing

Through 6 December 2012
Matteo Pericoli: Writers' Windows
Casa dei Libri
Largo De Benedetti 4, Milan

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Matteo Pericoli

Curated by Alice Avaldi, Writers' Windows is Matteo Pericoli's first exhibition in Milan, his home town: his detailed drawings inaugurate the new Casa dei Libri, Andrea Kerbaker's new space in the city.

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