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    Hunky Dory

    Carlo Benvenuto
    Carlo Benvenuto / Hunky Dory
    19 November 2016 - 14 January 2017
    Hunky Dory | Carlo Benvenuto
    Galerie Mazzoli, Potsdamer Str., 132 - Berlin



    Carlo Benvenuto (Stresa, 1966) is research is determined by the desire of communicating as little as possible. The artist works at home, with his furniture and belongings, reducing individual choices to a minimum. Benvenuto photographs what he has available in 1:1 scale, on a neutral background and in a rarefied atmosphere of subtlety and suspense..... artist's page



    PRESS RELEASE
    Galerie Mazzoli is proud to present Hunky Dory, Carlo Benvenuto's first solo show in Germany. The Italian artist, born in Stresa in 1966, is known across Italy and Europe for his approach to analog photography, which introduces a unique interpretation of still-life. The title of the show, a clear allusion to David Bowie's record, refers to an idea of pleasantness. It inspires a sense of comfort into the viewer, who, rather than having to withstand a load of impenetrable references, will be gracefully reassured by Benvenuto´s desire to communicating as little as possible. Benvenuto photographs his domestic universe in 1:1 scale, on a neutral background, where objects are placed upon geometrical horizons, creating a rarefied atmosphere of subtlety and suspension. The largest work in the show presents a large table whose edge corresponds with the horizon's line. On top of the table, a single pineapple dominates the structural plane, and assumes a color contrasting that of its background through the superposition of several filtered shots. Similarly, in the smaller pieces we are presented with other natural elements such as flowers or cherries positioned over contrasting backgrounds. In all cases the exhibited photographs are indicative of Benvenuto's style, in which commonplace objects are deprived of their traditional purpose, and become the instrument of a compositional abstraction that seeks to shift our attention from function to form and process. In Benvenuto's modus operandi, form and composition, along with a skillful light and chromatic balance, perform a fundamental role and declare the artist's admiration for classical painting. In particular, one might suggest a strong relation to the Italian metaphysical and post-cubist tradition, where the rigidity of the structure, flat colors and the absence of shades produce essential and severe compositions. The aesthetic of simplicity in Benvenuto highlights the poetry of an ordinary world, governed by grace and order.

    The catalog published for the exhibition contains textual interventions by Devendra Banhart. The American songwriter and visual artist delivers with liberty a playful vision of the same world diplayed by Benvenuto. Like in a letter or a ballad, Banhart tells us about life: dream-like suggestions, lucid fantasies, delightful images inspired by a hunky-dory reality.

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    exhibition's catalogue
    Carlo Benvenuto  | Hunky Dory
    Carlo Benvenuto | Hunky Dory
    Words by Devendra Banhart
    36 pages, color images
    300 numbered copies

    Published by Galerie Mazzoli. Berlin, 2016.



    EXHIBITION VIEW
    Carlo Benvenuto
    Carlo Benvenuto
    Carlo Benvenuto
    Carlo Benvenuto
    Carlo Benvenuto
    Carlo Benvenuto
    Carlo Benvenuto
    Carlo Benvenuto
    + Carlo Benvenuto, Hunky Dory, Mazzoli Gallery, Berlin 2016