Dan Flavin's Last Light

On Via Neera in the Stadera district, you'll need to wait for the sunset, or rather the evening, to see the light. There is no hidden meaning or symbolism in this daily exchange of light within the church of Santa Maria Annunciata in Chiesa Rossa, known simply as the Chiesa Rossa to the neighborhood churchgoers (though it is sometimes confused with the nearby Church of Santa Maria la Rossa). As the sun slowly sets, a multicolored light of green, blue, pink, gold, and ultraviolet, emerges between the three naves, casting its reflections on the floor, and illuminating its exterior after the church's 7pm closure, sending ripples of light into the advancing nighttime sky.

In the final months of his life, Dan Flavin — a New York-born American artist and icon of minimalism, whose works were exhibited and celebrated at the Guggenheim Museum, the National Gallery of Ottawa, and the Kunsthalle in Basel — dedicated himself to this parish located in a remote corner of the Milanese suburbs, working from his home in Riverhead, on the far edge of Long Island.

The site-specific installation was made after his death by the Fondazione Prada, in collaboration with the Dia Center for the Arts in New York and the Dan Flavin Estate, and is the last project the artist worked on. Thus, Flavin's art transformed the architecture of the church designed by Giovanni Muzio in 1932 (the same architect who designed the Triennale, the Catholic University, the Arengario complex, and many other rationalist buildings in Milan) into a stunning spectacle of colored lights: blue, pink, green and gold are reflected on its interiors, creating a uniquely spiritual effect.

Known for his use of simple neon tubes to create spatial experiences, Flavin was passionately devoted to this installation, which reflects his interest in shaping space with light, without symbolic superstructures. In his own words: "The work is what it is, and it ain't nothing else." Nevertheless, an almost mystical perception of the surroundings emerges, capable of creating a profoundly soulful dialogue between the sacred space and its visitors.

All thanks to a suburban priest.
His name is Father Giulio Greco, and he was Chiesa Rossa's parish priest from 1984 to 2008. On one particularly fateful day, he and some of his parishioners paid a visit to Villa Panza di Biumo, a neighborhood in Varese. This 18th-century gem houses a highly rich and sought-after collection of contemporary art, including lots of Flavin's lights.
The parish priest somehow managed to get a letter to the American artist: "I’d be delighted if someone like you could help us to find an ambiance in our church. By 'ambiance,' I mean a living space, a place inhabited by the Word..." It was May 1996 and Flavin was already seriously ill, but he replied and then had photos, drawings, plans, and measurements sent to him so that he could set up a wooden model of this little church designed in 1932.

The church is still there, on the corner of Via Montegani, nestled among the housing projects, which today sport newly-renovated pastel-colored facades, though their inhabitants still suffer from the same ills that spurred Father Giulio to contact this American artist, in the hope that the latter could bring some of his light to the neighborhood. Flavin died on November 29 of that same year. Santa Maria Annunciata was his last work. It was purchased by the Fondazione Prada, and the Dia Art Foundation was able to create it in time for its inauguration the following year on the first anniversary of the artist's death.
It is what it is: a light illuminating the Stadera district in perpetuity. But, to see it, it's better to wait for the evening.

Santa Maria Annunciata in Chiesa Rossa is located on Via Neera no. 24 in Milan.

The Dan Flavin installation can be visited every day from 4 to 7 pm, except when there are ongoing parish activities.