A new series of exhibitions at the Prada Foundation in Milan deal with unusual and rather illuminating subjects. The maverick Italian artist Francesco Vezzoli ruminates on RAI, Italy’s national broadcaster, in the 1970s when the TV channel stood out due to its cultural projects and pedagogical programmes (TV 70: Francesco Vezzoli watches RAI; 9 May-24 September). “Italian public TV is interpreted by the artist as a driving force for social and political change in a country in transition from the radicalness of the 1960s to the hedonism of the 1980s, as well as a powerful machine for cultural and identity creation,” a press statement says. The first section focuses on shows such as Come nasce un opera d’arte (How a work of art is born) which showed artists such as Michelangelo Pistoletto at work. Another section unpicks the theme of politics and television through news programme excerpts and works including Ketty La Roca’s video Le Mani (1973). Meanwhile, visitors can sample synthetic cat pheromones courtesy of Pamela Rosenkranz. The Swiss artist focuses on the impact of physical and biological processes for her installation Slight Agitation 2/4 (until 14 May). Inside the Cisterna space, Rosenkranz has installed a mountain of sand impregnated with the feisty feline hormones (the exhibition is part of the Thought Council series aimed at unsettling the mind and body).
