Pier Paolo Calzolari was born in Bologna in 1943.

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In the sixties, this Italian artist developed a work of actions and performances. He took part in numerous group exhibitions in Europe, notably in 1969 at the exhibition When attitudes become forms, held at the Kunsthalle in Bern. His work is close to that of Arte Povera, Conceptual Art and American Minimal Art, or the approach of Joseph Beuys.

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The recurring theme of his work is the passage of time. The materials he uses show their transformation towards a new state of matter.

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At the Atelier Calder, he has created a series of lead bathtubs. The choice of material is not insignificant since it is malleable and its deformation is visible. The surfaces of the baths show soft shapes, blue lights that animate their surfaces, which from matt to shiny.

The other series of works produced at the Atelier Calder refers to a theme that is omnipresent in Calzolari's approach: tables. On which objects are assembled in a precise order, where nothing is left to chance.

Pier Paolo Calzolari said of this series of tables: "The form is perfect, I insert it into the space (...) The relationship established between my necessity, my function, the demand and the material is one of absolute communion".

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Video images : Guillaume Blanc