exhibition
03 December 2021 > 06 February 2022

Giacomelli | BurriPhotography and Materic Imagery

extra MAXXI
curated by Marco Pierini, Alessandro Sarteanesi

A reflection on the human condition through the representation of nature. Giacomelli’s photographs enter into dialogue with Burri’s graphic and mixed material works.

In Mario Giacomelli’s photographs of the series Metamorfosi della Terra (Metamorphosis of the Land), Presa di coscienza sulla natura (Epiphany about Nature) and Storie di Terra (Stories of the Land) the ploughed fields, the morphology of the Marche region and the contrast between earth and sky are transformed into a language of abstract geometries that speaks of man’s work and of his relationship with nature, of the effect of the passing of time on things, and of photography as a research tool to give meaning and shape to the complexity of reality.

In the works by Burri interacting with Giacomelli’s photographs throughout the exhibition, the vigorous composition structures the energy of matter. The possibilities offered by graphic experimentation, although explored in different ways on both the technical and conceptual level, led the two artists to propose an idea of landscape where their exterior world and inner reality are deeply intertwined.

The archive documents on display trace the human relationship between the two artists, born from their common friendship with Nemo Sarteanesi and consolidated with projects such as Giacomelli’s exhibition in Città di Castello in 1984, where the photographs were chosen together with Burri. This human relationship, further testified by the dedications written on the back of some of the photographs on display, continued over the years, thanks to a mutual esteem and brief but intense exchanges. As has often happened in the history of art, the relationship between the two artists led to a reflection on art and existence that has many points of tangency, but it is experimented with different tools, materials and techniques.

Exhibition conceived by Magonza Editore and produced by Fondazione MAXXI, Comune di Senigallia, Regione Marche, promoted by Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri, Archivio Giacomelli and Archivio Sarteanesi.

Header: Mario Giacomelli, Senza titolo, 1966, Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri, Città di Castello © Archivio Mario Giacomelli © Rita e Simone Giacomelli | Alberto Burri, Cretto, 1970 © Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri, by SIAE 2021, photo Alessandro Sarteanesi