has the pleasure of presenting the contemporary art exhibition
VENUS EFFECT: THE OTHERNESS OF THE REFLECTED GAZE
curated by Dores Sacquegna
from 25 February to 8 March 2023
Renaissance venue of the
PALMIERI FOUNDATION, LECCE | ITALY
Primo Piano LivinGallery is pleased to present the contemporary art exhibition Venus Effect: Otherness of the Reflected Gaze conceived and curated by art critic and director Dores Sacquegna. The event under auspices by the Municipality and set up at the Palmieri Foundation in Lecce, will be inaugurated on Saturday 25 February at 7.00 pm in the presence of the mayor Carlo Salvemini, of the artists and the audience. During the opening day, is scheduled the Live performance AcustiKelettronix by the multi-instrumentalist musician and Italian composer Alberto “Nick” Bolettieri.
The exhibition
The theoretical debate on the representation of a subject or an artist’s reasons for making a portrait is a phenomenon present both in art and in psychoanalysis and is linked to the profound nature of the individual, to his/her psyche, to the methods of perception of other than itself, to the relationship that is established between the subject/work and the painter/observer. In psychology this phenomenon is called the “Venus Effect”. We find an example in some famous paintings of the past such as that of Venus and Cupid by Velazquez, where the face of Venus reflected in the mirror turns its gaze to the painter or the viewer. This illusionistic method also used in photography and cinema is based on the idea that if the observer can see the portrait of the subject portrayed in the mirror, it means that the camera is not behind the actor. From this reflection comes the investigation of the exhibition entitled “Venus Effect: Otherness of the reflected gaze”, which is not an exhibition of mirrors, but could be the story of the deception of the reflection, the symbiotic relationship that exists between the physical, visible, and real presence of the user and the imaginary, invisible, illusionistic presence of the object placed in front of. The work-body closes its circuit the moment it finds a gaze that questions it. The event is completed with the video art review titled “With Your Eyes” which is divided into short films, animations and interactive experiments that elevate the user from a simple spectator to a protagonist and an integral part of the story/work. On display the art catalogue with critical texts by Dores Sacquegna.
Artists on display: Luigi Caiffa (Italy);Patrizia Casagranda (Germany); Pierluca Cetera (Italy); Alexandra Kordas (Germany); Lize Krüger ( Uk); Ioan Herteg – Nio (France); Maria Luisa Imperiali (Italy); Monica Lisi (Italy); Chai Malin (Spain); Gönül Nuhoğlu (Turkey); Hélène Planquelle (France); Laurence Scheer (France); Fernando Spano (Italy); George Pantelis Syrakis (Greece); Irina Vytyaganets (Spain).Video Artists: Nancy and Philip Barwell (France); Ivana Galli (Italy); Iolanda Jansen (The Netherland); Anna Ursyn & Stuart Smith (Usa).
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