19th May opening Mustafa Sabbagh “Liquid Memories” exhibition in Ferrara
Mustafa Sabbagh presents a series of works in the Palazzo Massari, the museum dedicated to Giovanni Boldini. Inspired by the renowned Belle Époque portraitist, the group of 16 photographs and the two installations by the Italo-Jordanian photographer establish a intense narrative and an equally charged discourse not only with the paintings by Boldini on display but also with the iconic building and with its rooms, laden with memories and rendered unique by the marks of time and history.
The two installations are the product of a thought process initiated by a careful observation of the exhibition space. The first installation is a photograph of large dimensions portraying a view of the room where the full-figure portraits by Boldini are exhibited. It is printed on glass that has been shattered to signify a necessary “breaking-off” with traditional aesthetic criteria of pre-established notions and ideals of beauty. The image broken into pieces becomes therefore a metaphor of the magical mystery that has to be seek and found in imperfection. The second installation comprises of two large format back-lit photographic prints. By taking the place of the windows in one of the rooms in the museum and by portraying the external world they examine the relationship between the inside and the outside and investigate its impact within the fictitious realm of the work of art.
May, 20th 2012 – September 30th 2012
Museo Giovanni Boldini – Corso Porta Mare, 9 – 44121 Ferrara