Second-hand time

Cosarte presents *Tempo Secondo Mano* (Second-Hand Time), an exhibition event taking place from October 21 to 25, 2026, under the patronage of Rome’s VIII Municipality.

The project takes the artist's book as its starting point to reimagine time as action. It is an exploration of time not merely as a theme, but as a gesture; the act of turning pages becomes a physical and temporal process that consumes, erodes, and reveals layers.

*Tempo Secondo Mano* thus conceives the artwork as a creative device for measuring time. It is an exhibition of works that function like books: objects that hold content, imply a duration, dictate a sequence, and allow for interruption.

The title plays on a double meaning. "Second-hand" (*secondo mano*) refers to the manual measurement of time—the gesture of turning, shifting, and transforming. It also alludes to a "second hand" intervening upon a sort of palimpsest, adding layer upon layer, erasing in order to rewrite and leave a trace.

The theme thus offers a dual interpretation, presenting two possible perspectives.

One views time as material that accumulates and forms layers, creating a palimpsest-like structure. The artwork is a scraped, lived-in page that retains what has been erased while simultaneously revealing a series of overlays that expose a stratified reality. The works function like sediment; every "second-hand" intervention—every moment added or erased—leaves a mark. The past is not left behind; it remains present as a testament.

Parallel to this, time is viewed as a gesture. The act of turning pages, for instance, transforms an object into a process. It is the singular action that introduces a "before" and "after," a rhythm, and a duration. *Tempo Secondo Mano* calls for works that do not reveal themselves all at once, but instead require a physical or perceptual journey through them. The artist’s book serves as the model, yet the underlying logic extends far beyond it. Consider a series of paintings designed to be viewed in a specific sequence, an installation that compels the body to follow a particular path, or a modular sculpture that the public can reconfigure. If the work is not "leafed through" by hand, it is navigated by the gaze or through movement within the space. What matters is the existence of a temporal threshold between its various states—that the work truly *happens*.

The exhibition opens on October 21st at 6:00 PM and will also feature an "open work." Throughout the exhibition's run, visitors are invited to participate in creating an artist’s book titled *Tempo Secondo Mano* (Time Second-Hand). Each day, a small table will be set up with paper, watercolor pencils, markers, India ink, and pastels, inviting visitors to leave a mark: a drawing, a word, a memory, or even a tear in the paper. A moment of their own time. All collected contributions will be bound together and displayed in the gallery at the closing event as a single, collective artist’s book.

A program of artistic and cultural events, meetings, and talks is scheduled from October 21st to 25th.

Artists:

Roberto Campagna, Enrica Capone, Sandra Fiordelmondo, Simona Gloriani, Marina Loreti, Stefania Miccadei, Walter Necci, Renata Pagano, Manuela Scannavini, Gabriella Tirincanti, Paolo Viterbini.