"La pression de ta main, que je presse à mon tour"

The essay concentrates on the exploration of tactility in the practice of Giuseppe Penone. Touching determines the ultimate form of interrelationship among beings in any environment. As the most direct connection, based on the physical act of sensing the volume and the surface of materials, the sense of touch is investigated by the artist as the essence of sculpture itself. By focusing on major works belonging to some of the most famous series created by the artist throughout his career, the essay ultimately focus on the relationship between blindness and memory, as major implications of self-awareness entailed by the artist's practice. In arguing the relevance of these terms in Penone's practice, I rely on major sources of cultural discussion, with particular focus on Denis Diderot's "Lettre sur les aveugles à l'usage de ceux qui voient".