The Palimpsest series is a group of close to 1700 drawings that were produced between May 1996 and September 1997 when my friend Currado Malaspina was recovering from a near fatal diving accident.
The works which are all meticulously constructed through an intricate process of layering, burying, scraping, resurrecting, redrawing, revising, sublimating, surfacing, gouging and excavating are relatively weak when seen individually. After all, the work was grounded in a mindless though necessary process of physical and mental rehabilitation. They were more like heroic attempts by Currado to regain his ability to walk, feed himself, think cogently and go to the bathroom with dignity.
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| Palimpsest #1326, Currado Malaspina 1997 |
The drawings have recently been assembled - no small feat in light of the fact that they have been dispersed for over a decade among countless private collections and about a dozen museums. The credit goes to Francesco di Marco Datini, chief curator of drawing and prints at the Obscurum Phantasiae Nationali in Turin. He single-handedly secured the loans of over 1500 of the works and the impact of seeing all these images at once is truly staggering.
Currado was visibly moved at his opening. It was the first time I have seen him humbled, gracious and self-effacing. As we parted company I kissed him on both cheeks. He held me for a few extra uncomfortable seconds, long enough to whisper in my ear:
"I don't like myself."
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