Explore the incredible contemporary art exhibition at the Cloister of Bramante in Rome, extended until August 25th, 2019.
Is this a dream or a reality?
How does it feel to experience deep un:conscious dreams just by walking through them, with eyes wide open?
The human mind senses these (and more) questions when crossing the doorstep of Cloister del Bramante in Rome and approaches the amazing exhibition 'Dream. Art meets dreams', curated by Danilo Eccher, (luckily) extended until August 25th, 2019. Be sure not to miss it!
Dream. Desire. Fantasy. Fear. Magic. Symbol. Mirroring. Un:known. Perception. Discovery. Revelation. Emotion.
Dream represents a journey into personal microcosms, deep emotions, and poetic of soul, to harmoniously connect self, sub:conscious mind, and oneiric projections onto the vibrancy of contemporary artworks.
With their dreamlike and sur:real essence, art Installations, and contemporary works follow one another, through corridors and rooms, mixing hypnotic lights, dark liquid shadows, amniotic sounds, contrasting patterns, subtle color hues, intriguing textures.
Every artwork acquires a major depth thanks to The voices of the dream, fourteen poems and stories specifically written for this exhibition by writer, screenwriter and director Ivan Cotroneo, and soulfully narrated by actors such as Valentina Cervi, Matilda de Angelis, Marco Bocci, Giuseppe Maggio, Alessandro Preziosi, Isabella Ferrari, Cristiana Capotondi.
To lead the spectator towards the vast territories of un:conscious emoti:on.
To unfold into a lucid un:real magic, where space and time stops.
To stop, re:start, experience personal dreams, and walk into fears and desires.
To draw and breathe in a brand new dimension.
Entrance. The exhibition itinerary begins with the peaceful video installation of Bill Viola immersed in the dark, called 'Sharon', where the protagonist courageously holds her breath into the unknown, into the spiritual purifying water.
Moving into a next room, the artworks of Giovanni Anselmo and Mario Merz, respectively named 'Mentre la terra si orienta' (While the Earth finds its bearings) and 'Foresta con video sul sentiero' (Forest with video on a path), are set to represent the direction and the determination symbolized by the compass, while intricate brushwood elements evoke the coexistence of opposites. Then, Christian Boltanski creates curiosity with his installation room, 'Le Théâtre d'ombres', where oneiric plays of light + shadows / inside + out mirror the un:revealed emotional world, made of illusions and reflections and re:discovered realities.
The itinerary progresses leaving its darkness to enter a more illuminated room, with the 'Suspended Tree' by Henrik Håkansson, an ode to protection, present, and future personal aspirations; 'Enteric' by Kate MccGwire, a mysterious yet lightweight sculpture of a sensuous, dark-feathered creature, which twists and turns in the room; 'Without Space. Without Body. Without Time' by Wolfgang Laib, with his representation of a house as self and protection; 'Untitled' by Anish Kapoor, a majestic sculpture made of vermillion veined alabaster intended as an expression of emotions, thoughts, feelings and sense of infinity; 'Il carro del sole' (The wagon of sun) and 'Saltafossi' (Jumper) by Claudio Costa, a sensitive mix of mythology and reality into conceptual sculptures in wood, iron and bone.
Next room. Pure magic gifted by the contemporary installation called 'Light is Time' by Tsuyoshi Tane. Over a surreal background sound, 80.000 metallic plates gently fluctuate into the darkness, imperceptibly dancing in the space, like free-floating stars, and create visual poetry of golden rain, carrying symbols of recalibrated time, mystery, quest of the essence, new horizons.
And talking about dreamy stars, they are the main character of 'Untitled', an impressive painting by Anselm Kiefer which captures emotions, fascination, memory delicately surrounding the sleeping human body.
And then, 'data.tron [WUXGA version]' a digital wall installation by Ryoji Ikeda, with its programming computer codes and numbers constantly changing, and creating patterns and symbolisms bound to the rhythm of a frenetic, emotional heartbeat, letting the eye traveling into space and time, uncontrollably.
The itinerary connects ground zero to the upper floor by displaying a site-specific work by Alexandra Kehayoglou called 'What if all is', a dreaming prehistoric protective cave made of wool, rich in all its natural tones, which transforms from stair to stair into earthly tones and brilliant greens. The meaning of protection and climbing stairs reconnects to a sense of trust, unknown, curiosity, warmth, from illusion to reality (?), like a spiritual inner sanctum inside of human beings.
Out of the cave. Light!
An entire room installation named 'Untitled' by Peter Kogler, who transports the eyes into distorted visions, intricate lines, confusing the rationality through unknown, vertigo, labyrinth, immersed into mysterious, silent, curved, infinite dreamy lines. Getting lost as an expression of getting found again, as a pivotal part of existence. Luigi Ontani, instead creates a colorful bedroom with mythological elements and masks full of symbolisms, which translates as personality traits covering and hiding, in a lucid dreamlike state.
The next room is set as a dark futuristic installation called 'Time Sky' by Tatsuo Miyajima, where the ceiling is completely filled with electric blue-lighted analogical sparkling numbers, that can be watched by lying down on the floor. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5....Numbers as stars, order, suggestion, from dream to reality in the unconscious mind. And then, Ettore Spalletti with his minimalistic 'Carta velata' (Veiled paper), let the eye be filled with peace, quiet atmosphere, touching the chords of the soul from light baby blue to milky white. From the state of trance to being awake.
The exhibition reaches its climax with the final artwork by James Turrell, 'Sensing Thought', where a central panel in a quiet room brings its attention to the ever-changing imperceptible colour hues, from yellow to orange and green, creating a parade of awakening.
Exit. Light. New Energy. Calmness. Towards Infinity. Essence.
From dream to reality.
Or vice-versa (?).
Yes, we are dreamers!
For more, visit Chiostro del Bramante.
Special thanks to Chiostro del Bramante and Mr. Raffaele Brancato
Photo credit: Alessandra Fanizzi