Ravenna, Italy – Saturday, April 20, 2024 – The Fondazione Sabe per l’Arte proudly presents “ITALIA REVISITED #1: A Showcase of Images,” a solo exhibition by Massimo Baldini, curated by Claudio Marra. Sponsored by the Municipality of Ravenna and the Department of Cultural Heritage of the University of Bologna – Ravenna Campus, in collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts of Ravenna, this event is set to commence at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Established in 2021 as a hub for the promotion and dissemination of contemporary art, with a particular emphasis on sculpture, the exhibition space has now expanded its horizons to embrace photography in 2024, exploring its connections with plastic research, landscape, and physical and mental space.
In the mid-1980s, the “Viaggio in Italia” (“Journey in Italy”) led by photographers under Luigi Ghirri’s guidance revolutionized the iconography of the Italian landscape, freeing it from the old postcard model. Now, four decades later, we stand on the cusp of another radical transformation characterized by the pervasiveness of production and the blending of heterogeneous scenarios.
Massimo Baldini, a photographer born in Ancona but adopted by Bologna, is the architect of a new way of seeing the Italian landscape, sampled in the artist’s book “Italia Revisited #1: A Showcase of Images.” His work is marked by flashes of irony and magnificent incongruities: a lampshade winks at Brunelleschi’s dome, Michelangelo’s David oversees an ATM, a Riace bronze becomes a TripAdvisor review, a pizzeria decorator quotes Edvard Munch. “Italia Revisited” is a long-term project presented in multiple segments, initially unveiled in 2023 at Baraccano in Bologna and now reimagined in a new setting conceived for the spaces of the Fondazione Sabe per l’Arte, paying homage to Ravenna.
Having spent considerable time in publishing, Massimo Baldini has since dedicated himself exclusively to photography. Among his notable solo exhibitions are “Italianité” in Paris at Maison de l’Italie in 2017, “A Tour not so Grand” at the Fondazione Carlo Gajani in Bologna in 2018, and “White Noise” at the Galleria Made4Art in Milan in 2022. His photographic book “Gli italiani,” featuring texts selected by Claudio Giunta, was published by Il Mulino in Bologna in 2019. Baldini also participated in MIA Photo Fair in Milan in 2024 with his work “Human/Nature.”
Claudio Marra, formerly a full professor of the History of Photography at the University of Bologna, has extensively explored the historical perspectives on the relationships between photography and visual arts. His texts, ranging from “Le idee della fotografia” in 2001 to “Che cos’è la fotografia” in 2017, have become reference points in the field.
The Fondazione Sabe per l’Arte, founded in November 2021 with the aim of promoting and disseminating contemporary art, particularly sculpture, in the city of Ravenna, engages in various cultural activities. Presided over by Norberto Bezzi and Mirella Saluzzo, it benefits from the advisory services of a scientific committee coordinated by Francesco Tedeschi, professor of contemporary art history at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan. The artistic direction is entrusted to Pasquale Fameli, an art critic and scholar from the University of Bologna.
Situated just a few steps from the MAR – Museum of Art in Ravenna, the Foundation also focuses on cataloging the works of Mirella Saluzzo and establishing a specialized library on contemporary sculpture.
The opening of “ITALIA REVISITED #1: A Showcase of Images” at the Fondazione Sabe per l’Arte promises to be an unmissable event for lovers of contemporary art and photography, offering a unique opportunity to explore the Italian landscape through the creative lens of Massimo Baldini.
Location: Fondazione Sabe per l’arte | via Giovanni Pascoli 31, Ravenna, Italy
When: 20th April – 30 June 2024
Opening: 20th april 2024, at 11
Opening Hours: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 16-19
Free entrance
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