Work by pioneering Italian
street artist Pablo Echaurren and the marvels of the ancient
city of Mutina (modern Modena) take centre stage in two major
exhibitions opening in Italy this weekend.
From November 24 until January 14, 2018 Catania's Palazzo
Platamone hosts 'Pablo Echaurren. Soft-Wall', a presentation of
150 works created by the Roman artist from the 1980s onwards,
when metropolitan graffiti came to the fore following the fall
of the Berlin Wall.
The exhibition plays up the constant dialogue maintained by
Echaurren with the most diverse forms of expression in order to
break down cultural barriers.
The wall in particular has always been at the centre of his
efforts to use art to create moments of encounter, reflection,
sharing and irony around social and cultural themes.
The first section presents a cycle of works created between
the end of the 1980s and the early 1990s, in which the end of
the Cold War is a central feature.
Another section is devoted to Echaurren's collages of the
1990s, while his mural work returns in his more recent
production, the 'confrontational paintings' with their novel
alphabet of cancelled writing representing a world of
superimposed opposing factions.
Rome-born Echaurren, 66, is the son of Chilean painter
Roberto Matta and Italian actress Angela Faranda.
'Splendid Mutina. The Roman city and its legacy' is the title
of the exhibition running from November 25 to April 8, 2018 in
the Foro Boario in Modena as part of the celebrations for the
2,200th anniversary of the foundation of the city.
Described by Cicero as "very strong and splendid", the
remains of this important ancient Roman colony lie buried
beneath the historic centre of present-day Modena.
The exhibition presents archaeological remains and artworks
found on site alongside items from Italian museums and virtual
reconstructions of the principal monuments of the ancient city.
Last but not least, photographs by the late photographer
Sandro Becchetti go on show in Terni from November 25 to March 4
to mark the fourth anniversary of his death.
'L'inganno del vero' presents some of his most famous works
including his portraits of the main protagonists of 20th century
culture including Alfred Hitchcock, Andy Warhol, Pier Paolo
Pasolini, François Truffaut and Federico Fellini, the degraded
suburbs of Pasolini's Rome and the images of the steelworks in
Terni taken in the 1970s, some of which have never been shown
before.
photo: Pablo Echaurren, Sticky City (2017)
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