Helen Mirra & Allyson Strafella: Fieno Fieno Fieno

The Raffaella Cortese Gallery presents “fieno fieno fieno“, an exhibition by Helen Mirra and Allyson Strafella. There is a keen accord between the artists, and a few years ago they began an intimate conversation of sorts. On the occasion of this project with Raffaella Cortese in Milan, this conversation continues with new works made in consideration of hay fields, straw bales and their contexts.

In via Stradella 4, Helen Mirra presents small tapestry weavings. Even if the activity of long-distance walking, fundamental in Mirra’s practice, is not directly involved in these new works, her ongoing use of primary materials (linen and wool) demonstrates the connection to the ground and one senses the sameness of the rhythms of walking and weaving.

In via Stradella 1, Allyson Strafella presents drawings made with a typewriter. This is a method of working she has been immersed in since the early 90s. With patience and fearlessness she finds the edge of form and formlessness, made and un-made.

While Helen Mirra and Allyson Strafella have long had independent practices, they have made their most recent exhibitions together. In 2015 they started closely considering particular early works of each others, and in January 2016 they made a pair of shows at Galerie Nordenhake and Meyer Riegger Galerie in Berlin. In the spring they made an exhibition that was a distillation of the two, at Large Glass in London. Both artists have international careers and are represented in various museum collections. Their recognitions include a DAAD artist residency in Berlin (Mirra) and a Guggenheim Fellowship (Strafella).