Seven square yellow elements and five black plasticised elements made of Formica are applied on magnets with different thicknesses and in different positions in order to allow the overlapping of black elements on yellow ones. The borders of the table are folded on top and bottom sides to host the elements for transport.

The viewer is invited to move the square elements over the metallic surface for combining them into ever changing configurations.

Grazia Varisco writes: «The title already tells the intention. The movable objects, intentionally simple, elemental (dot, line, segments, base geometric shapes) are applied over magnets. The whole work is an invitation to play; to play on oppositions: order/disorder, over/under, before/after, open/close, etc.; to play by attributing an expressive function to the elements and the field. This invitation to play was defined by someone who cared to provide a serious aim: “Participation of the viewer”. Play is always held in suspicion and anyway taken not seriously enough or too much seriously» (from: Grazia Varisco 1958/2000, edited by Giovanni Maria Accame, Edizioni Maredarte, Bergamo 2001). Magnetic tables have been realised in different versions.

Artist
Grazia Varisco

Title
Tavola magnetica a elementi quadrati (Magnetic Table with Square Elements)

Year
1959    

Collection/Owner
Collection of the Artist, Milan        

Exhibition
Miriorama 6, Miriorama 7