Words That Caress, Heal, Hurt

Words... words... words” repeats the refrain of a famous song. “They can be as good as fingers... as reliable as rocks... daisies but also wounds” (Anne Sexton). They retain, in their essence, a spell: “In the beginning was the Word” (Gospel of John 1:1). In these times of dogmatic declarations, prejudices, and certainties, ‘doubt’, in the Cartesian sense, is the word that philosophy most needs, an essential companion on the journey toward a choice that is, as much as possible, free from external influences. Words are important, as they embody thoughts, convey emotions, and influence moods. Many artists incorporate words into their works: Jenny Holzer, with her Truism series, uses projections, engravings, prints, and led lights to assert blunt and obvious truths, staging words that surprise passersby - “a man cannot know what it means to be a mother” or “revolution begins with changes in the individual” - and compel them to take a stance. With his wall writings, conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner invites the “recipient of the works” to actively participate in its creation, each person offering their own subjective interpretation of the visual image. He creates sculptures by molding words as matter, manipulating the ordinary logic of verbal language. Each observer, swept along, is urged to shape the metaphor that serves their own existence: “Held by a thread”. “Buy therefore I am” by Barbara Kruger is one of the catchphrases the artist uses, employing the tools of advertising, which she mastered as a graphic designer, to challenge the indifference of the viewer, drawing them into the conversation: “Please care”. Then there are those who erase words in their art, but only to reveal their magic. Emilio Isgrò crosses out words from entire encyclopedias, with the exception of a few which, left uncovered by ink that dulls and suppresses their meaning, emerge from the black sea of visual negation, becoming fireflies of poetic communication. The duo Claire Fontaine, with their slogan “foreigners everywhere” written in neon, gave the evocative and impactful title to the 2024 Venice Biennale. “I want disobedient words but also innocent ones. Words that somersault, words that tickle, words that f lash, lightning and thunder, words like needles that sew and words that tear the fabric of discourse... Words that know the rings and never land low blows. But they touch. They resound... I need words that search for me... and... breathe with me, panting in the darkness... Words that push me toward what I still dare not know. Words, companions of silence...” (Chandra Candiani). Bridges, anchors or swords, words can comfort, heal, caress, inflict pain, convince... “Rocks ready to be thrown or precious drops, long-spent and then savored slowly”.

Listening Samuele Bersani, Le mie parole Gabriel Fauré, 3 Romances sans paroles