Italian artist Alighiero e Boetti created a prolific body of work during his relatively short lifetime. Boetti was especially interested in the concept of “twinning,” or communicating between two selves; he added the e—Italian for and—between his first and last names in 1968 to suggest his own plurality. Initially associated with the Arte Povera movement, Boetti distanced himself in the early 1970s when he became inspired by the elaborate craft of Afghan quilt making. He went on to collaborate with artisans from Afghanistan and Pakistan who fabricated and contributed to his work. Boetti became known for these quilts that engage different cultures and aesthetics to create a unified object.

–Jamiee Shim, from the Glenstone Field Guide