On one hand, we are accustomed to minimal setups in sterile white cubes, but on the other hand, we eagerly anticipate being surprised. The Fumagalli Gallery in Milan has done just that, welcoming the return of American artist Allan McCollum (1944) to Italy. The small gallery on via Cavalieri is “invaded” by six hundred and sixty works, a site-specific project on display until March 29. The installation is titled MINIME VARIAZIONI. Drawings and Plaster Surrogates and offers an in-depth look at McCollum’s decades-long exploration. His works are part of the collections of over seventy of the world’s most prestigious art museums, including the MoMA and the Centre Pompidou.

The central piece is the Collection of Drawings, reflecting the artist’s fifty-year journey. It materializes in “collections” of works, which can be drawings or sculptural objects, ranging from a few to several thousand. Although seemingly mass-produced, these works are characterized by subtle and minimal variations in shapes and colors, distinguishing each individual element from the “mass.” McCollum reflects on the eternal paradox of human existence: the aspiration to be part of a group while simultaneously desiring to feel unique.

Courtesy Allan McCollum & Galleria Fumagalli