Antonella Mellini | BUTTER

Solo Exhibition investigating form and sensory perception.

MILAN | APRIL 29, 2026

Manuel Zoia Gallery | Via Maroncelli 7, Milan

Milan, April 2026 – Manuel Zoia Gallery is pleased to present BUTTER, a site-specific solo exhibition by the artist Antonella Mellini. The exhibition showcases a new body of work that delves into the artist’s investigation of the nature of matter and its capacity for symbolic transformation.

The exhibition originates from a visceral, oneiric intuition that challenges the traditional rigidity of sculptural substance. In this series of works, the chromatic palette of the Menhir shifts toward organic tones of cream and pale yellow, utilizing the essence of butter as a metaphor for material and energetic transmutation.

The show explores the threshold where matter, stimulated by human interaction, transitions from a solid state to one of softness and receptivity. "I awoke with the idea of butter... matter that warms and becomes soft, much like the energy I transmit through m works," states Mellini. "BUTTER is a manifestation perceived by the eye and felt by the hands."

The spatial layout is articulated through distinct sculptural clusters that redefine the gallery environment. Upon entry, the viewer encounters the monumental off-white Menhir, juxtaposed with everyday vessels that underscore the generative process. The inquiry continues with a series of low-profile, pale-yellow sculptures, leading into a secondary chamber dedicated to elevated forms that investigate the verticality of organic hues.

The use of the bucket as a container for this primary substance serves as a profound ready-made gesture, highlighting the contrast between material coldness and the inherent warmth of the subconscious.

BUTTER reaffirms Mellini’s standing as a "pure artist"—a definition recently underscored by Stefano Mazzatorta in the scientific-culture journal TITOLO—whose practice navigates the intersection of formal rigor, the silence of resistance, and the fluidity of matter.

EXHIBITION DETAILS:

Title: BUTTER

Artist: Antonella Mellini

Format: Solo Exhibition

Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Location: Manuel Zoia Gallery, Via Maroncelli 7, Milan