Bodies in Movement
Posted on February 22 2019
Bodies in Movement │ 1st - 28th February 2019
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When the words ‘body’ and ‘movement’ meet and match together indissolubly, it is worth mentioning and retracing at least some of the artistic experimentations occurred in Europe and beyond starting from the 19th century. Since photography was born, in 1839, it finally gave everyone the opportunity to centre his-her focus on a peculiar topic: the (human and animal) body, represented in motion, revealing its lability, mobility, natural instability. A theme that, besides being one of the emblems of the modern era, soon revealed the twofold interests of the artists: science on one side and aesthetics on the other. Since then, numerous are the examples showing how body movement became a ‘catchy’ subject, especially when shifted to the creative domain.
Among the photo-pioneers, we can count not just photographers and scientists such as Muybridge and Muray, who took chronophotographs, making the representation of movement possible.
Among the photo-pioneers, we can count not just photographers and scientists such as Muybridge and Muray, who took chronophotographs, making the representation of movement possible.
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On the verge of the 20th century, artists like the Futurists considered the body in motion as one of the keywords for their theoretical and creative research. Girl running on a Balcony, a painting by Giacomo Balla (1913), is just one of the examples one can mention. In France, more or less at the same time, Marcel Duchamp was also dealing with similar experimentations, leading to Nude descending a Staircase (1912) – without counting other eminent role models of the 19th century such as Monet, Degas or Ingres.
On the verge of the 20th century, artists like the Futurists considered the body in motion as one of the keywords for their theoretical and creative research. Girl running on a Balcony, a painting by Giacomo Balla (1913), is just one of the examples one can mention. In France, more or less at the same time, Marcel Duchamp was also dealing with similar experimentations, leading to Nude descending a Staircase (1912) – without counting other eminent role models of the 19th century such as Monet, Degas or Ingres.
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Benjamin Skop, Metamorphosis, 2015
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Benjamin Skop, Whirl, 2015
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Even after much time has passed, the body resists at the centre of the artistic scene: besides being the favourite subject of several performative works (from Marina Abramovic to Gina Pane and to the representatives of the Viennese Actionism) or artworks such as the Anthropométries series by Yves Klein, it is still a reference in photography and the digital field. This is in fact the case of the works exhibited at the collective show “Bodies in Movement” at Spazio Millepiani in Rome, collecting suggestions from the past, re-elaborated by original ideas and with personal perspectives.
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Within the exhibition, open for the whole month of February (1-28 February 2019, Monday-Friday 9 am – 6 pm), we can unavoidably notice references to chronophotography, performative dance as well as a ‘Duchamp-taste’. Where black & white nudities are immediately associated to Francesca Woodman or Robert Mapplethorpe, strong chromatic contrasts and blurry figures clearly recall Francis Bacon’s paintings. But the exhibition does not exclusively pay homage to the past: themes and poses, iconographies and compositions have an undoubtable modern twist, showing bodies, colours and compositions able to renew the tradition and talk to the post-modern time. In this context, the body – whether hidden or shown, metaphoric or poetic – is not ‘just’ movement, life. It encounters the identity discourse, for example, arising a dialogue about gender, origin, identity as the definition of ourselves, expression of our body, self-esteem. Hic et nunc, here and now.
Within the exhibition, open for the whole month of February (1-28 February 2019, Monday-Friday 9 am – 6 pm), we can unavoidably notice references to chronophotography, performative dance as well as a ‘Duchamp-taste’. Where black & white nudities are immediately associated to Francesca Woodman or Robert Mapplethorpe, strong chromatic contrasts and blurry figures clearly recall Francis Bacon’s paintings. But the exhibition does not exclusively pay homage to the past: themes and poses, iconographies and compositions have an undoubtable modern twist, showing bodies, colours and compositions able to renew the tradition and talk to the post-modern time. In this context, the body – whether hidden or shown, metaphoric or poetic – is not ‘just’ movement, life. It encounters the identity discourse, for example, arising a dialogue about gender, origin, identity as the definition of ourselves, expression of our body, self-esteem. Hic et nunc, here and now.
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Ken Clark, Violin 1 Naked Talent, 2017
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Efrat Mazor, Dancers, 2015
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Laura Berson, Meditatia #1, 2017
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Greta Lorimer - Inner Rooms, Chapter VIII: In Between, 2018
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Felicia Simion, Passenger(s), 2018
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