Edoarda Emilia Maino adopted the pseudonym Dadamaino in the 1960s. Though it originated with a felicitous typo in a Dutch catalogue, this whimsical change of identity also marked a much more significant shift that led the artist towards the perceptual dynamics of Programmed Art. Dadamaino adapted the methods of this Italian avant-garde current to cycles of work pervaded by a new emotional power. Some of her earliest experiments, like the series Volumi a moduli sfasati (1960–1961), adopt the scientific approach of perceptual experiments, but with slight, crucial variations: each work in the series superimposes two or more sheets of transparent plastic, punched with holes at regular intervals. Although the repetition of the holes and configuration of the grid suggest a clear, strict order, the hand-punching and misaligned surfaces make each perforation irregular, with an overall effect that confuses the eye. Resembling miniature labyrinths, her Cromorilievi (c. 1972–1975) are square panels onto which solid forms have been applied. Though the strict mathematical model governing their arrangement makes it irreversibly static, the units’ varied colours and shadows create a dynamic effect. Moving beyond kinetic experiments and beginning to express a verbal-visual sensibility, Dadamaino presents the mark or sign as a body, whether programmed or poetic in form.
Stefano Mudu
