The autobiographical history and family events are imagery that the artist repeatedly draws from in his practice. The Pianist revolves around the story of his grandfather, a pianist, who, born into a Jewish family, was forced to flee Germany in 1939. Through the silkscreen technique, images extrapolated from the owner's manual of the Opel Olympia, the car that helped Federico Waelder cross the border, are depicted on the canvas. References to the Opel Olympia are now pivotal in Ian Waelder's production and in this cycle of works, specifically conceived for the gallery space, enlarged cutouts of the hands that in the original manual indicated how to repair or preserve the car seem to echo the movements of a pianist.
The abstraction of gestures and the introduction of stains complicate the understanding of the scene, just as sometimes memories arrive barely blurred and the result of a troubled memory.
The abstraction of gestures and the introduction of stains complicate the understanding of the scene, just as sometimes memories arrive barely blurred and the result of a troubled memory.
The silver gelatin print 1993 - (Fly on hand) #02 depicts a plant received by Ian Waelder's parents on the day of his birth and whose growth the artist records each time he is back at their home in Spain. Like the imperceptible fly resting on the leaf, the visitor almost surreptitiously witnesses Ian Waelder's personal story and the symbolic telling of a story taking shape through artistic practice. Towards the end of the exhibition the visitor is forced to walk around Upright (The Pianist diminuendo) to discover a fictional clay nose, that could be the Ian’s, Federico’s or another family member’s, thus fixed at the height of the artist. While the canvases of The Pianist play with the gallery space, creating three hypothetical openings in addition to the one already present in the floor plan, the verticality of Upright (The Pianist diminuendo) seems to harken back to the shape of an upturned piano, and the artist's portrait gives the narrative an even more intimate accent.
Exhibition views :
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/003b0ba46e41602a9e9f94c82313ef65480bd275738bbc30185695323c301794/Ian_Waelder_RolandoAnselmi_giu23-07.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/522f72a19b94c6fb9576908abdb7d6cd323eb8075bf4fb6f9de5fe23f254c6af/Ian_Waelder_RolandoAnselmi_giu23-102.jpg)
![The Pianist (Assembly Line), 2023. Silkscreen on cotton canvas covered with a layer of raw linen with water stains, ink, glue, glass cleaner, rests of air-dry clay, tissue paper. 261 x 126 x 4 cm](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8780043538cfa2d9918d32ebdccd2b207d848979676c2452e3b5a201b33c8d9e/Ian_Waelder_RolandoAnselmi_giu23-49.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f7a9e0996ce23e9c34e59bb7ddfbe9319637c002a2f0274f0ecb00e9f892cffb/Ian_Waelder_RolandoAnselmi_giu23-16.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b0b6ff3cf325f9232705e77a7e851a51f1b7e1ccadd5a72f4c4b83499abc0b3b/Ian_Waelder_RolandoAnselmi_giu23-19.jpg)
![1993 - (Fly on hand) #02, 2023. Gelatin silver print on baryta paper. 17,5 x 23,5 cm (unframed dimensions) 19,5 x 25,5 cm (framed dimensions). Unique edition. "From a series of portraits of a Monstera that was gifted to my parents the day I was born, still alive and growing today at their house."](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1fe7846482fcdefa6afcaac565bb42e7891a9741a27b661d239b44151927b49e/Ian_Waelder_RolandoAnselmi_giu23-65.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3c802a17a06b133783cae89a2aad5d0c34386cbe81718243cb92716b7b819352/Ian_Waelder_RolandoAnselmi_giu23-31.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3f482cdfd71a067ab423216fdaa8ff669cb458dfee81706a49dbe8c0f563b550/Ian_Waelder_RolandoAnselmi_giu23-34.jpg)
![Upright (The Pianist Diminuendo), 2023. Wood, glue, air-dry clay, metal structures, screws. 126, 5 x 17 x 21,5 cm](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/16b1015e25b47d78caf76694698610c12aa5a666cdb31e477f605a80da5f1b38/Ian_Waelder_RolandoAnselmi_giu23-46.jpg)
![Upright (The Pianist Diminuendo), 2023. Wood, glue, air-dry clay, metal structures, screws. 126, 5 x 17 x 21,5 cm](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1edf9f510a16d291c859320f03e9abb0c007574a86df4e73ceeca3a530e4e9b9/Ian_Waelder_RolandoAnselmi_giu23-43.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/977e25887e594def886e7ae90130e7902d5a7843d65ed3a5cf6f9444a2e0c961/Ian_Waelder_RolandoAnselmi_giu23-117.jpg)
List of works
![The Pianist (Assembly Line), 2023. Silkscreen on cotton canvas covered with a layer of raw linen with water stains, ink, glue, glass cleaner, rests of air-dry clay, tissue paper. 261 x 126 x 4 cm](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b07bc78b741d436bffb29d44a8c894575d6c1290f60c062bdce4a91a26649a68/Ian-Waelder_mezzo-staccato_Rolando-Anselmi_2023_01_A.jpg)
![The Pianist (Assembly Line), 2023. Close-up.](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/96831dce83f0e8866e42bb78315808cec94c88fd22a90047a1abb0128126ac0f/Ian-Waelder_mezzo-staccato_Rolando-Anselmi_2023_01_B.jpg)
![The Pianist (Subito Forzato), 2023. Silkscreen on cotton canvas covered with a layer of raw linen with water stains, ink, glue, glass cleaner. 265 x 130 x 4 cm](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/58e5174283ae593b239678dca445638eb7878460531820388dca78eb5674c84a/Ian-Waelder_mezzo-staccato_Rolando-Anselmi_2023_02_A.jpg)
![The Pianist (Subito Forzato), 2023. Close-up.](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/211da85f55498497b958534d531933eca9e66dacc5fddf2d419a51c75275b5b9/Ian-Waelder_mezzo-staccato_Rolando-Anselmi_2023_02_B.jpg)
![The Pianist (Mezzo-Staccato), 2023. Silkscreen on cotton canvas covered with a layer of raw linen with water stains, ink, glue, glass cleaner, rests of air-dry clay. 265 x 130 x 4 cm](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a8c78c7a57a3d38255543700cf959773684a989eab4b4923cd09cd9874018526/Ian-Waelder_mezzo-staccato_Rolando-Anselmi_2023_03_A.jpg)
![The Pianist (Mezzo-Staccato), 2023. Close-up.](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9e882fa373025ce39201fa934abb859368371e1363bdf8ac0e31b9d374b59a78/Ian-Waelder_mezzo-staccato_Rolando-Anselmi_2023_03_B.jpg)
![Upright (The Pianist Diminuendo), 2023. Wood, glue, air-dry clay, metal structures, screws. 126, 5 x 17 x 21,5 cm](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3e2422bc58839dbbf5c099a3e0bec867da2a1c49035ce5a97924e5b812998f6c/Ian-Waelder_mezzo-staccato_Rolando-Anselmi_2023_04_A_ok.jpg)
![Upright (The Pianist Diminuendo), 2023. Wood, glue, air-dry clay, metal structures, screws. 126, 5 x 17 x 21,5 cm](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a3f5c6a1d48f8b267e7c21c1a15c21a09d0c818c57576b845f5ca0b8fad7329d/Ian-Waelder_mezzo-staccato_Rolando-Anselmi_2023_04_B.jpg)
![Upright (The Pianist Diminuendo), 2023. Wood, glue, air-dry clay, metal structures, screws. 126, 5 x 17 x 21,5 cm](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fc6980d8a3e37a06d2e1b234cec342590f5ed7e75cb43f5ac8d1e0a91a25d2e0/Ian-Waelder_mezzo-staccato_Rolando-Anselmi_2023_04_C.jpg)
![Upright (The Pianist Diminuendo), 2023. Close-up.](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/927435094a843ee818b4f53e96166cafbf1be894abf771c0669ffa18885176a5/Ian-Waelder_mezzo-staccato_Rolando-Anselmi_2023_04_D.jpg)
![1993 - (Fly on hand) #02, 2023. Gelatin silver print on baryta paper. 17,5 x 23,5 cm (unframed dimensions) 19,5 x 25,5 cm (framed dimensions). Unique edition. "From a series of portraits of a Monstera that was gifted to my parents the day I was born, still alive and growing today at their house."](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1fe7846482fcdefa6afcaac565bb42e7891a9741a27b661d239b44151927b49e/Ian_Waelder_RolandoAnselmi_giu23-65.jpg)
Installation views by Sebastiano Luciano
Individual works by Ivan Murzin (except “1993 - (Fly on hand) #02, 2023).