With his solo exhibition VA BENE SENZA RIDERE, Jan Kuck presents a body of work at MAIIIM in Genoa that moves between pop, language, and social analysis. Curated by Virginia Monteverde, neon, sculpture, and text condense into a precisely composed field of tension.
At its core is a present moment that has fallen out of balance. “If we take everything too seriously, we end up taking nothing seriously,” says Kuck. His work responds to a society drifting into the absurd – where we no longer “shoot” with weapons but with smartphones, where everything revolves around the self, and any sense of responsibility for the collective is fading.
Kuck’s response is not moral, but visual: reduced, sharp, often just a few words. “Brevity plays a major role in my work,” he explains. Language becomes light – neon that both seduces and questions.
It is precisely this reduction that gives the works their edge. Between humor and discomfort, a space emerges where laughter becomes almost inevitable – not out of lightness, but from the realization of how absurd our reality has become.
His internationally recognized neon works such as WHO CARES, TIME MATTERS, and TRUST? translate language into light and space – bold, direct, and at the same time ambiguous. They are complemented by mirror works and text-based pieces that confront the viewer with themselves. The new works are distorted and reinterpreted through collage and Photoshop.
VA BENE SENZA RIDERE does not offer answers. But it strikes a nerve – clear, direct, and with a sharp sensitivity to the fractures of our time.
A closer look at the exhibition, including insights and an interview with the artist, is available on YouTube.
Exhibition:
VA BENE SENZA RIDERE
March 12 – April 11, 2026
MAIIIM, Genua