Stefano Arienti (Asola, Mantua, 1961) moved to Milan in 1980 to study Agricultural Science, but in 1983 he began drawing and coloring paper, setting out on his artistic journey. In 1986, he graduated and briefly worked as a researcher in Milan, participating in the “Rapido Fine” exhibition in Ferrara, where he showcased his first works. He started collaborating with Corrado Levi and held his first solo exhibition during the show “Con sette giovedì.” It was on this occasion that a new type of work emerged, the “algae,” created by cutting plastic bags. In 1987, he exhibited increasingly complex works in a solo exhibition in Turin, featuring pieces like the “Turbines,” three-dimensional bodies made by folding the pages of phone books, train schedules, or comic magazines.
The folded paper works, created between 1986 and 1989, mark Stefano Arienti’s early artistic experiences. Initially, while studying Agricultural Science, Arienti abstractly colored found sheets of paper. In the summer of 1986, he began folding the drawn paper, creating the first “Barchette” (Little Boats) and “Spicchi” (Slices). Shortly after, at the suggestion of his friend Amedeo Martegani, he created the first “Turbines” using children’s comic books. The artist did not follow a predetermined plan but experimented with different approaches each time, choosing folding lines that could be easily executed within the sheet of paper to create autonomous forms in space with strong sculptural significance.
The series of folded paper works was presented to the public in 1987 during his first solo exhibition at the Guido Carbone Gallery in Turin.
