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Presentation
Matt Collishaw finds inspiration in the masterpieces of the great art of the past, exploring the contrast between form and content, between beauty and horror. Black Mirror, Collishaw’s exhibition at the Galleria Borghese, is part of an exhibition project that strives to compare and create a dialogue between the historical collection and contemporary art: four of the gallery’s works become the subject for a transfiguration by the artist in his four works exhibited in the museum.
Three large black mirrors in Murano glass, framed in elaborate pure black frames, reflect three paintings by Caravaggio, Saint Jerome, the Madonna of the Palafrenieri and David with the Head of Goliath, in images that appear and disappear. The figures of the paintings are alive. They breathe and their eyes move: they are people, models for the paintings still to be made, not yet religious icons in the completed work of art but no longer free to move around in the real world, trapped in a timeless space behind the surface of the mirror.
A Zoetrope, a contemporary version of a Victorian toy, shows the Massacre of the Innocents by Ippolito Scarsella in a three-dimensional vision. The characters in the brutal Gospel episode are multiplied and set in motion by the optical effect created by the swirling rotation of the object and positioning of the light. The resulting representation is fierce repeated violence, formidable brutality, sublimated in an endless and hypnotic kaleidoscope.
The exhibition, curated by Anna Coliva and Valentina Ciarallo, is organised by the gallery 1/9 uno su nove. The initiative is part of the project “Committenze Contemporanee” conceived by Anna Coliva.
Thanks to the support of the British Council, a documentary film was made of the exhibition. Produced by Cecile Leroy for Person Films, it narrates the artist’s thoughts about his world and his work, through the eyes of Elisa Fuksas.
Setup
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View
Mat Collishaw. Black Mirror
Installation View