Alessandro D'Aquila - Before Language / Until 5 September 2026
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Marignana Arte is pleased to present Before Language / Prima del Linguaggio, Alessandro D'Aquila’s first solo exhibition at Marignana Project, curated by Simone Marsibilio. The project is part of the exhibition program for the first edition of the Berlendis Prize, of which the artist is one of the winners.
Alessandro D’Aquila (1989) develops a research centered on the use of Braille as a visual and conceptual device, transforming a language not intended for sight into a formal element of the artwork. His practice lies between writing, image, and perception, articulating itself through a process of synthesis that reduces the sign to its essentials while maintaining its semantic complexity.
The exhibition takes shape as an investigation into the dimension of poetry that precedes the word, questioning that moment in which emotions and intuitions emerge before being translated into language. At the heart of the project, the Tavole Ottometriche Poetiche (Poetic Optometric Charts) translate poetic texts into visual and tactile configurations, where sign, word, and Braille generate a layered perceptive experience.
In dialogue with authors from different linguistic traditions—including Dante Alighieri, Federico García Lorca, Jacques Prévert, Robert Frost, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe—the exhibition path highlights a shared poetic root that transcends languages. The works activate a pre-verbal dimension of experience, in which poetry is configured as an intuitive and sensory gesture.
D’Aquila’s work focuses on what precedes the codification of language, in a space where meaning presents itself as possibility and openness. The sign thus becomes the vehicle for a perception involving both sight and touch, inviting a slower, more conscious engagement, and a reflection on the ways in which the experience of reality is constructed.
Biography
Alessandro D'Aquila (Atri, 1989) lives and works in Pavia. His research investigates the possibilities of Braille as a visual form, exploring the relationship between sign, text, and perception. Throughout his career, he has received several awards and accolades, including the Premio Sulmona (Territory section, 2025), the Premio Marca Corona (finalist, 2024), the 7th edition of EneganArt (second place, 2023), the Mediterranean Art Prize (second place, sculpture section, 2023), and the Combat Prize (finalist, 2023). In 2026, he was featured in the catalog published by Exibart "222 Artisti su cui investire nel 2026" (222 Artists to Invest in in 2026) and is among the winners of the first edition of the Berlendis Prize. He has held solo exhibitions in Italy and participated in group exhibitions both in Italy and abroad.
Alessandro D’Aquila
Before Language / Prima del Linguaggio
curated by Simone Marsibilio
From May 22 to September 5, 2026
Marignana Project Dorsoduro 140 A, Rio Terà dei Catecumeni, Venice
Opening hours:
Wednesday to Saturday, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
Other days by appointment only
Waterbus (Vaporetto) stops:
Salute – Line 1
Spirito Santo – Lines 5.1 / 5.2 / 6