Grenade
Fiorenza Bassetti (*1948)

 

Fiorenza Bassetti, Grenade, 1999, graphite on handmade paper. Museo d’arte della Svizzera italiana, Lugano. Gift Carolina Bassetti Balmelli

Fiorenza Bassetti was born in Sorengo and received her training in Italy, France and the United States. Initially specializing in engraving, she later expanded her artistic horizons to include painting, photography, collage, computer art, sculpture and installation. Grenade is part of a series of works created by the artist between 1997 and 2005. The title holds multiple meanings, referring to both a weapon (a grenade) and a fruit (a pomegranate). On one hand, the dark figure on the white paper becomes an icon of a violent world, poised to explode. On the other hand, its segmented structure, resembling a chocolate bar, exudes the playful and irreverent spirit reminiscent of 20th-century Pop art and Dada artworks.