In the project Lo sguardo che offende (The Gaze That Offends), Grossi Maglioni delve into the act of looking not as a passive gesture but as one laden with the potential for conflict and transformation. They interrogate the notion of mimesis, as well as the various postures and relational dynamics that appear through the act of viewing, both in relation to the ‘Other’ and to the landscape itself. Inspired by references from science fiction and unfolding through a series of workshops and the construction of device-like structures, Grossi Maglioni investigate the gaze as a visual faculty and as a situated perspective, but also as a violent act that actively exercises power over and shapes reality. Their research questions how alternate vantage points can reveal new insights into the power and agency of vision in shaping our experiences. Here, the gaze is understood in its full corporeal dimension: as something enacted through diverse embodiments and actions upon the external world.
The element of violence subtly emerges in the duo’s semantic choices regarding the devices they conceived as part of the work. The “optical weapons” are based on detailed studies of the postures and gestures inherent to observation and are imagined as instruments to train and activate the gaze. Their forms oscillate between evoking organic, natural elements and suggesting tools of aggression; a duality that underscores the intimate connection between landscape and gaze as an extension of the body, while simultaneously conjuring a science-fictional imaginary. Alongside these “weapons”, Grossi Maglioni developed the “gunsight kits”, modular constructions composed of elements that alternate between sharp, geometric edges and soft, sinuous shapes that seem to dissolve into the surrounding environment. Each of these works originates from an inquiry into the physical attitudes that enable the gaze to extend beyond the body, transforming vision into an active, sculptural gesture.
The culmination of the project took the form of a limited-edition artist’s book titled Lo sguardo che offende, il manuale (The Gaze That Offends, the Manual) (2017), produced in just 30 copies. Featuring two overlapping, removable fabric covers designed to be used by the viewer as a mask, the book serves as both an archival object and an activator for continued exploration beyond the workshop setting. Each monotype, and thus each mask, is unique, and together they form two conceptual teams of fifteen. When worn, each mask transforms its wearer into a hybrid, fantastical creature, and enable a form of camouflage, forging embodied, transformative relationships with one’s surroundings. In this way, the book extends the project’s inquiry into the gaze, inviting ongoing experimentation and embodied engagement.
