Retracing the Life of Maria Lai, Mother of “Relational Art,” in Sardinia

Fri, 05/05/2023 - 08:25

Maria Lai libri cuciti on display at the Biennale di Venezia 2017 / Photo: Kristina Kostova via Dreamstime

Maria Lai's "libri cuciti" (stitched books) on display at the 2017 Venice Biennale / Photo: Kristina Kostova via Dreamstime

“I played with great seriousness. At some point they began to call my games art.” – Maria Lai

I first “met” Maria Lai while visiting Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, one October. In a half-hidden, graffiti-colored square, the artist’s name is printed on a stone slab propped up on a metal post in front of a pink wall and beneath two residential balconies. Across the way are one or two well-maintained trees — lusher than you might expect so close to the equator — along with the

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