07 May 2012

Image of Light at Villa Clerici, Milan

EXHIBITION: Image of Light. International Contemporary Artists at Villa Clerici
CURATED BY: Paolo Bolpagni and Francesca Pola
OPENING: 12 May 2012, 7 p.m.
EXHIBITION PERIOD: 12 May – 4 July 2012
VENUE: Via Terruggia 14, Milan
ORGANIZATION: Villa Clerici Galleria d'Arte Sacra dei Contemporanei in collaboration with A arte Studio Invernizzi, Milan
OPENING HOURS: Tuesday and Thursday 10 a.m.-10 p.m. – Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. – admission free
CATALOGUE: bilingual, published by Galleria d'Arte Sacra dei Contemporanei di Villa Clerici, Milan


Image of Light is an exhibition of works by international contemporary artists who investigate the creative visual interpretation of the dimension of light, with the display of about fifty works (paintings, sculptures, installations) by twenty-three of the most important European artists who have been active since the 1960s.
The works have been selected, and in some cases created, for the spaces of Villa Clerici. In fifteen rooms covering a total of about a thousand square metres of exhibition space on the 'piano nobile' of the villa, the display has been specially designed for the premises, thus promoting its cultural value.

Curated by Paolo Bolpagni and Francesca Pola and organised together with A arte Studio Invernizzi, the show gives an opportunity to see the exhibition spaces of Villa Clerici a new light. The aim is to develop this museum and make it known, both internationally and to the city of Milan, with an active, dynamic identity as a centre of long-term interest for as broad a public as possible.
The image of light has been chosen as the special underlying theme, taking into account its direct relevance to the identity of the Museum itself, which was set up in 1955, thanks to the work of Dandolo Bellini, as the Galleria d'Arte Sacra dei Contemporanei. In this exhibition, Villa Clerici and the values it embodies find full expression in its direct relationship with contemporary creativity: light as a metaphor for spirituality, as what allows us to see and to communicate with each other, as a way of giving life to images that make artistic creativity an authentic place for sharing ideals and existential experiences. A place for an encounter between our human identity and our aspirations to achieve transcendence, between the individual and the universal. Villa Clerici thus acquires its own dynamic, proactive value in relation to the present and to its art, for which it becomes a living powerhouse.

The exhibition includes works by Rodolfo Aricò, Francesco Candeloro, Nicola Carrino, Alan Charlton, Carlo Ciussi, Gianni Colombo, Dadamaino, Riccardo De Marchi, Lesley Foxcroft, Igino Legnaghi, Mario Nigro, François Morellet, Pino Pinelli, Bruno Querci, Nelio Sonego, Mauro Staccioli, Niele Toroni, David Tremlett, Günter Umberg, Grazia Varisco, Elisabeth Vary, Michel Verjux and Rudi Wach.

The event is accompanied by a bilingual (Italian and English) catalogue with introductory texts by the curators and colour illustrations of all the works included in the show. This catalogue is not designed to be simply a collection of texts and images, but rather an authentic permanent document that expresses and promotes the dynamic activities of Villa Clerici and its premises for both present and future.

Study meetings and side events, specially designed to accompany the content of the exhibition and the identity of the Museum, are also planned for Villa Clerici. The calendar is currently being drawn up.