About 100 works, between paintings, sculptures, graphics and photography, some of which have never been exhibited before or not exhibited for a long time, coming from the contemporary art collections of Rome – GAM.Galleria d’Arte Moderna and MACRO – to document how the female universe has always been the object a favorite of artistic attention, from an object to admire, as an angel or a temptress, to a mysterious subject who wonders about his identity up to the new image born of the contestation of the Sixties.
It’s Women. Body and image between symbol and revolution, exhibition that the Gallery of Modern Art hosts from January 24 to October 13, 2019. The exhibition path is accompanied by documentary material, video installations, photographic and film documents taken from cinematographic works and newsreels, as well as from performance videos and artist films.
In the series of portraits on the second floor of the exhibition stands out, among others, the face of Elisa, the wife of Giacomo Balla, portrayed while he turns to look at something or someone behind him. The iconic value of the image is enclosed in the look that changes the amazement in seduction and curiosity transforming the portrait of the young woman from an object to admire to a mysterious subject.
The exhibition itinerary is accompanied by video installations, photographic and filmic documents taken from cinematographic works and newsreels from the Bologna Film Library and the Istituto Luce-Cinecittà Archive which have overseen their implementation.
In a room of the exhibition is shown the film, produced by the Istituto Luce, Bellissima (2004) by Giovanna Gagliardi which, through historical documents of the Luce Archive, film clips, popular songs and interviews tells the story of women’s journey in the twentieth century .
The last section of the exhibition, dedicated to the dynamics and relationships between the developments of contemporary art, women’s emancipation and feminist struggles, presents documentary material from ARCHIVIA – Women’s Libraries Documentation Centers – and testimonies of performance and film artist of some protagonists of that fundamental season coming from private collections, important museums and public institutions (Museum of Rome in Trastevere, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia – National Film Library, Galleria Civica of Modern Art Turin, MAMbo – Museum of Modern Art of Bologna, MART – Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto – Tullia Denza Archive).
GAM: Via Francesco Crispi, 24 – 00187 ROMA ITALY
web site:
http://www.galleriaartemodernaroma.it