I was excited to visit Raccogliere parole, the latest solo exhibition by Italian artist Sabrina Mezzaqui, installed on the ground floor of the former cinema theater of Galleria Continua in San Gimignano. The exhibition presents a deeply meditative journey through the power of words, the act of reading, and the transformation of language into visual and tactile forms. Through delicate and thoughtful installations, Mezzaqui invites the viewer to slow down, reflect, and engage with the materiality of text in ways that transcend mere reading.

Mezzaqui’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in the evocative and symbolic power of words. Her approach involves cutting, assembling, and reconfiguring fragments of life, thoughts, and visions into tangible forms. Her work is characterized by a slow, meditative process that embraces repetition, writing, and literary references, transforming time into a shared experience of contemplation. This exhibition continues her longstanding engagement with language as both a conceptual and material medium, emphasizing the intersection of poetry, community participation, and the impermanence of meaning.

A central piece of the exhibition, EN—Il tavolo di Plotino, consists of thousands of words cut out during collective workshops in San Gimignano and Maccastorna, where participants engaged in the meditative act of reading and cutting words from Plotinus’ Enneads. Suspended between patience, silence, and repetition, the work emphasizes the relational aspect of Mezzaqui’s practice, where the act of creation becomes a communal gesture. The result is a fragile yet powerful testament to the coexistence of individual expression and shared experience, as well as a reflection on the ways in which words shape our perception of reality.

Another striking piece, C'è un tacito accordo tra le mie matite e gli alberi là fuori, references a a poem by Nina Cassian and presents a series of partially erased mandalas. The work alludes to Buddhist and Tibetan traditions where intricate mandalas, painstakingly created with colored sand, are deliberately destroyed in a symbolic act of impermanence—a theme central to Mezzaqui’s exploration of time and fragility. The erasure of the mandalas serves as a poetic metaphor for the transient nature of language and memory, emphasizing the delicate balance between presence and absence, form and dissolution.

The exhibition also includes an installation featuring three suspended swings and five books by poet Mariangela Gualtieri, each meticulously bound in red fabric. Below each swing, a single word is inscribed: non (not), niente (nothing), and poco (little), evoking a sense of absence and minimalism. The collaboration between the two artists is longstanding, dating back to 2006, and finds in this occasion a new form of dialogue between visual and performative arts. For this reason, at the end of January, Teatro Valdoca presented Ruvido Umano in its world premiere at Galleria Continua, a performance featuring Mariangela Gualtieri—renowned poet and playwright—reciting her verses alongside live music by Lemmo, with direction, lighting, and staging by Cesare Ronconi. The presentation of this unprecedented project was conceived specifically within the context of Raccogliere Parole, intertwining Mezzaqui’s artistic vision with Gualtieri’s evocative poetry.

Ruvido Umano acts as a poetic manifesto, embracing an inclusive "we" that unites all living beings: "those who have eyes, those who have wings, those with roots and leaves, those inside the seas." The performance emerges from an extensive rehearsal period, during which Gualtieri explored the intricate relationship between poetry and electronic soundscapes. The resulting work is a captivating fusion of spoken word and music, where Lemmo’s experimental compositions create an immersive auditory experience. This sonic and literary interplay enhances the themes of the exhibition, reinforcing the idea that words, like sound, exist in a fluid and ephemeral state.

The day after, Gualtieri participated in a public conversation at the Sala di Dante in the Palazzo Comunale, as part of the Vis-à-vis parole series. This discussion, featuring young students from the Academy of Bologna who collaborated on Mezzaqui’s exhibition, explored the intersections of poetry, art, and collective experience, reaffirming the central role of language as a means of connection and discovery. The event provided an opportunity to reflect on how artistic practices can function as a space for dialogue and shared creativity, bridging generational and disciplinary boundaries.

It was particularly interesting because Mezzaqui and the students, some months before (in September), walked a section of the Via Francigena from Pistoia to San Gimignano prior to the exhibition opening. Their journey, filled with words, thoughts, and silence, culminated in a work-in-progress installation, Raccogliere parole/Il tavolo della poesia, which evolved throughout the exhibition with monthly composition workshops. This nomadic and participatory approach to art-making resonates deeply with Mezzaqui’s philosophy, reinforcing the idea that meaning emerges through shared experience and collective engagement.

With Raccogliere parole, Mezzaqui reaffirms her commitment to a practice that merges literature, craftsmanship, and collective experience. Her delicate yet profound works invite viewers to reflect on the transient nature of words, time, and human connection. Through the meticulous and poetic arrangement of text, she encourages an intimate and meditative encounter with language, one that foregrounds the materiality and temporality of words. In doing so, she reminds us that language is not merely a tool for communication but also a space for contemplation, transformation, and renewal.

Mezzaqui’s work challenges conventional notions of authorship and artistic production, emphasizing instead the communal and process-based aspects of creation. By incorporating the participation of students, poets, and workshop attendees, she transforms the gallery into a living archive of linguistic and visual exploration. The exhibition thus becomes an evolving organism, one that grows and changes over time, much like the words it seeks to collect and preserve.

Moreover, Raccogliere parole speaks to broader philosophical and sociological questions about the nature of language in contemporary society. In an age of rapid digital communication, where words are often consumed and discarded at an unprecedented pace, Mezzaqui’s slow and deliberate approach offers a counterpoint to the fleeting nature of textual exchange. Her work invites us to reconsider our relationship with words, urging us to pay closer attention to the rhythms, textures, and silences that define language in its most fundamental form.

Ultimately, Raccogliere parole is not just an exhibition but an experience—one that encourages viewers to engage with words in a way that is both contemplative and participatory. Whether through the intricate process of cutting and assembling text, the poetic interplay of sound and silence, or the performative dimensions of language, Mezzaqui’s work creates a space where words are not merely read but felt, heard, and shared. In this sense, her art becomes a meditation on the very essence of communication, reminding us that words, like time, are both fragile and infinitely expansive.

As I left the exhibition, I found myself thinking about the words I had encountered, the spaces they occupied, and the silences they left behind. Mezzaqui’s work had not only made me more aware of language as an artistic medium but had also deepened my appreciation for the ways in which words shape our understanding of the world. In Raccogliere Parole, words are not just written or spoken—they are gathered, cherished, and ultimately transformed into something greater than themselves: a shared experience of meaning, memory, and presence.