PRESENTATION
Antonio Della Guardia: New Geometries of Existence October – November, 2026 PROA21 presents New Geometries of Existence, a performative research project by Italian artist Antonio Della Guardia, curated by Benedetta Casini (Italy) and produced by studioconcreto (Italy).
The project encompasses two complementary components taking place between October and November 2026 at PROA21: an exhibition on the upper floor of the space and a locally produced performance. Both components form part of an ongoing research process initiated by the artist in Italy through the study of the iconic Ivrea and Pozzuoli plants—preliminary developments of which were presented at OGR Torino—which now reaches its second stage in Buenos Aires, before concluding its third iteration in São Paulo between November and December.
For the past decade, Antonio Della Guardia’s research and artistic practice have focused on the relationships between architecture, the body, and subjectivity. Through textual analysis, the examination of diverse archival documentation, and extensive field research, the artist investigates the conditions that contemporary labor imposes on the body, cognitive processes, and the most intimate spheres of private life, as well as the impact that specific labor models exert on the lives of both individuals and communities.
In New Geometries of Existence, the research highlights the Olivetti industrial complexes to reveal the intersections between architecture, the body, and labor dynamics. The project analyzes how this singular model of industrial architecture and social innovation fostered a specific cultural development grounded in considering the worker beyond mere productivity. A focus on well-being and a fluid relationship between architecture and the natural landscape—where the integration of courtyards, terraces, and direct sunlight reintroduces the natural dimension into everyday production—determined spatial decisions that were revolutionary for 20th-century Italy. This humanistic ideal, based on harmony between production, quality of life, and the centrality of the individual, transcended European borders to extend into international contexts such as Buenos Aires and São Paulo.
Thus, the research connects the cultural and social heritage of the Olivettian model with the transformations of contemporary labor, laying bare the tensions between the humanistic ideal that shaped those spaces and current configurations articulating production, the body, and the performative dimension. Della Guardia approaches this performative dimension alongside other artistic languages to develop imaginative processes and forms of resistance and re-existence, restoring the political and symbolic value of industrial architecture.
About the exhibition
The exhibition New Geometries of Existence presents the research process initiated in Italy and expanded into our local context. Curated by Benedetta Casini, the upper floor of PROA21 brings together photographs, preparatory drawings, video performance, and sculptures that introduce Antonio Della Guardia’s aesthetic and conceptual realm.
The body and gesturality serve as central protagonists in these works. The public can visit the exhibition from Saturday, October 10—when the artist will offer a guided tour open to the public at 3:00 PM—through Sunday, November 1.
About the performance
The performance New Geometries of Existence (Buenos Aires) translates into choreography the reflections on the cultural and social legacy of the Olivetti model, taking as a case study the specificities of the architectural complex designed by the company in Merlo.
To activate this piece locally, the artist, studioconcreto, and PROA21 organized an open call for the dance community. During the audition held on Thursday, October 1, in PROA21's garden, more than 30 dancers met with Antonio Della Guardia. Following a presentation of the project's conceptual frameworks and visual archives of the Merlo plant, a duo of performers was selected. After an intense week of rehearsals focused on choreographic construction, they will embody the piece. Presentations of New Geometries of Existence (Buenos Aires) will take place on Saturday, October 24, and Saturday, October 31, at 4:00 PM in the garden at PROA21.
Credits
Organized by
PROA21 and studioconcreto
Curated by
Benedetta Casini
Supported by
Italian Council programme (2025) – Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity — Italian Ministry of Culture
Sponsored by
Tenaris – Ternium