The shoptalk discusses the presence of agonism and collaboration in the work of Mario and Marisa Merz, two central protagonists of Arte Povera whose lives were so deeply entwined that the art critic Tomasso Trini mused, “a single syllable sets them apart.” Understanding agonism as a form of provocation that spurs mutual development, the discussion traces the growth, interaction, and mutual impact of several key bodies of work—in particular Marisa’s iconic 1966 Living Sculptures and Mario’s better-known igloos—as part of a productive conversation about scale and stature that unfolded both within and outside of their shared home studio space

Leslie Cozzi is the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation/National Endowment for the Humanities Post-Doctoral Rome Prize Fellow in Modern Italian Studies at the American Academy in Rome and curatorial associate at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.

The event will be held in English.