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Ph by Roxana Rios

Close-Up
Spazio Millepiani, Rome | November 24, 2023  – January 4, 2024

“Close-Up" is a group exhibition centred around the eponymous photographic technique, offering a glimpse into a physical world that visitors may not have had the opportunity to explore and truly experience before. Suddenly, before our eyes, images of a reality unfold, transcending themselves and becoming hyperreal.

Through close-up shots of people and nature, the artists have contributed to a collection one could find within the first museums. This sequence of images forms a catalogue of naturalia, artificialia, and mirabilia – in other words, a marvellous place that we should approach with silence and delicacy, preserving its unique rhythm and atmosphere.

It's within this space that the artists engage with the objects of the sensory world, tearing away idealizations and falsifications that we are accustomed to, all in the pursuit of truth. In these photos, digital pieces, and videos, nothing remains hidden; everything is displayed, ultimately transforming everything into art, creating contrasts that defy conventional aesthetic categories. For instance, by showcasing what are often considered 'body imperfections,' the exhibition prompts reflections and questions. What is beauty, and what truly constitutes ugliness? Why do beauty standards exist, and who determined their criteria?

By revealing what is authentic – a body like mine, like yours, like that of the majority of people – we automatically feel a connection to what we observe. The bodies of the artists become immediately intertwined with those of the subjects, and in turn, with ours.

However, the human body isn't the sole subject of these artworks. Nature also takes centre stage in several of them. Images of plants, animals, and fruits unveil unprecedented shapes and colours. This amalgamation of veins, organic surfaces, and vibrant hues transcends their inherent forms. In some cases, details are captured so closely that they tend toward abstraction. It's fascinating to witness how nature can resemble a watercolour painting or a non-figurative composition. On the other hand, certain macro-shots reveal the resemblance between a fruit and a human body, underscoring the shared elements of the plant and animal world.

In essence, the "Close-Up" exhibition disrupts conventions and the established order of things. Paradoxically, it accomplishes this surrounded by images of reality, or perhaps, hyperreality.

Text by Silvia Colombo

Works by Dan Yang; Justine Bisschops; P. Robert; Nils Müller