In January 1967 Boetti announced his first solo exhibition—at Turin's Galleria Christian Stein—with an invitation featuring a grid of samples of the industrial materials he used in his art. The original installation was deliberately crowded, like the displays in the hardware stores where Boetti purchased many of his materials. These works refer both to the history of manufacturing in Turin (the artist's hometown) and to child's play, the acts of stacking and grouping. In addition, Boetti's embrace of simple, everyday materials aligned him with the burgeoning Italian art movement Arte Povera.
Gallery label from Alighiero Boetti: Game Plan, July 1–October 1, 2012.
