The traveling exhibition “Evocations. A nomadic Exhibition Project” arrives in Bologna

OTTO Gallery Arte contemporanea hosts “Evocations. A Nomadic Exhibition Project” until March 27, 2024, a traveling group show curated by Lóránd Hegyi, shared with the Cuneo publisher Nino Aragno. After Budapaest, Naples, Paris and Salzburg, the exhibition arrived in the spaces of the Bolognese gallery, on the occasion of Arte Fiera. There are various artists and types of art works on display, from which a contemporary restlessness emerges portrayed, drawn and meditated, that restlessness which acts as a common thread in the reflection of individuals from different nations. A journey inside the human soul, whose emotions are revealed sometimes with imagination and sometimes with hallucinations.

AA.VV., “Evocations. A Nomadic Exhibition Project”, sala I, photo Carlo Favero, courtesy OTTO Gallery Arte contemporanea

The exhibition project is ambitious and this is demonstrated by the organizational and conceptual complexity supported by the curator, whose objective is not only to raise awareness of the new faces operating on the contemporary art scene, but above all to present the expressive potential present in the international field, which manifest themselves with different techniques and sensitivities. And in more detail, as it is reported by the curator himself: «Partly the result of passionate discussions between artists, gallery owners, curators, collectors, critics and art enthusiasts, partly the result of long-meditated considerations regarding the present day, after the pandemic and the most recent war events and political crises, observing events around the world and sharing sensations, doubts, hopes and fears caused by the events, this idea of a traveling exhibition was born with the aim of creating a format for presenting and promoting the ‘easily achievable contemporary art’».

Gianni Dessì, “Autoritratto 3”, 2023, acrilico su carta, cm 75,5 x 55,5, courtesy OTTO Gallery Arte contemporanea

Contemporary drawing is the undisputed protagonist of the Evocations project, thanks to which the works on paper created by thirty invited artists, selected with meticulous attention, are exhibited. In addition to restlessness, one perceives the development of a poetics of “intimacy, fragility”, as it is indicated in the exhibition’s press release, which further emphasizes the themes developed by the artists, spokespersons for the lived present time. Furthermore, the peculiarity of Evocations is the diversity of setup in the individual exhibition venues, which allows us to perceive even more the continuous evolution of the works on display, of the languages contained within the same project and of the same basic artistic message. However, at the center of each exhibition is always the human condition and its interiority, with its own fragilities, psychic experiences, emotional sensitivities and the ability to create deeply sophisticated personal narratives which do not claim to reflect monumental and universal systems of thought but focus on hidden resources of values. The selected works «let the richness of micro-narratives that thematize an empathic and sensitive relationship with human realities shine through, without ever suggesting any ideological tendency, any rigid system of thought, on the contrary they show openness and sensitivity». (Lóránd Hegyi)

Melanie Daniel, “Mama Bear”, 2016, acquerello su carta, cm 40 x 39, courtesy OTTO Gallery Arte contemporanea

Visiting the exhibition itinerary, one notices the presence of a phrase on the upper part of the access to each room, which leads the viewer into the theme and reflection areas developed within the individual spaces of the gallery. For room 1 the following is indicated: “Paradigms of objects, spaces, place”. Protagonists are the artists: Nir Alon, Marco Tirelli, Lello Lopez, Elzevir, Wang Yu Ping. For room 2: “Metaphors of fragility, vulnerability, weakness, uncertainty”, for which Ruth Barabash, Melanie Daniel, Maria Pogorzhelskaya, Anya Belyat-Giunta, Andrea Fogli, Ugo Giletta, Amir Nave, Marina Paris are on display. The theme of room 3 is: “Interior, imaginary, hallucinating, improbable landscapes”, characterized by the works of the artists: Soyoung Um, Tinus Vermeersch, Denica Lehocka, Aron Gàbor, Christoph Mayer, Fabrice Souvereyns, Michael Ziegler, while for room 4 we find “Transfigurations of the body between apotheosis and destruction”, with the works of Gianni Dessì, Luca Caccioni, Fabien Verschaere, Marine Joatton.

Fabrice Souvereyns, “Flash”, 2023, matita, gomma, acquerello e collage su carta, cm 26 x 36, courtesy OTTO Gallery Arte contemporanea

From the themes covered, it is clear that the poetics of the exhibition absolutely does not want to deviate from dealing with contemporary anxieties and uncertainties, dominating the present time, but how it seeks out their roots, evaluating and going to know, in particular way, the response of the artists, deriving from a profound internal re-elaboration. The techniques used, drawing and watercolour, lead us to reflect on the immortality of these ancient means, even in the art from our time, where we happen to come across different expressive means with the most disparate characteristics.“Evocations. A Nomadic Exhibition Project”, therefore, brings a great international contribution to Bologna, which confirms itself as one of the leading cities for contemporary art and a point of reference in the development of a wide-ranging artistic poetics, with a view on Europe and the world.

Info:

Evocations. A Nomadic Exhibition Project
Artisti: Nir Alon, Ruth Barabash, Anya Belyat-Giunta, Luca Caccioni, Melanie Daniel, Gianni Dessì, Elzevir, Andrea Fogli, Aron Gàbor, Ugo Giletta, Marine Joatton, Denica Lehocka, Felice Levini, Lello Lopez, Christoph Mayer, Amir Nave, Marina Paris, Maria Pogorzhelskaya, Maurizio Savini, Fabrice Souvereyns, Marco Tirelli, Soyoung Um, Tinus Vermeersch, Fabien Verschaere, Wang Yu Ping, Michael Ziegler
curated by Lóránd Hegyi
27/01 – 27/03/2024
OTTO Gallery Arte contemporanea
Via D’Azeglio 55, 40123 Bologna
www.otto-gallery.it