Following Shanghai, the international tour of “Cantica21. Dante Alighieri and the Italian Artists” continues to Paris from 14 April to 11 May 2022 at the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris. The exhibition will present five works dedicated to Dante Alighieri, which have been created for “Cantica21. Italian Contemporary Art Everywhere”, an open call supported by the Directorate-General for Country Promotion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, as well as by the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture.
The show puts into dialogue contemporary works with the historic 18th century “Hôtel de Galliffet”, headquarters of the Italian Cultural Institute. The light, as the main theme of the show, symbolically evokes the journey undertaken by the Supreme Poet in the Divine Comedy, evolving across the different works on display: it starts from total darkness in the immersive video work by Valentina Furian and dim light in the installations by Marinella Senatore and Marta Roberti, until calibrated light in the photographic installation by Silvia Camporesi and pure light in the work by Leone Contini.
In Marinella Senatore’s installation A salire a le stelle / To Climb To The Stars, the artist overturns the concept of Hell as a place of eternal punishment, suggesting that atonement can be achieved by the worst sinners as well. Senatore’s work displays the path of redemption of Vanni Fucci – a character in Dante’s Inferno –, demonstrating that everyone can obtain a second chance, especially through art.
Cantica21. Dante Alighieri and the Italian Artists
Italian Cultural Institute in Paris | 14 April – 11 May 2022
Private view: 13 April, 6pm. The artists will be present
Opening hours: Mon – Fri, 10am – 1pm / 3pm – 6pm
More information from www.cantica21.it and www.iicparigi.esteri.it