Techincal Info
Gian Luca Groppi
“B(e)sides, only child family reunion"
Curator: Clelia Belgrado
Opening: Friday 28th June, 2013 from 7 p.m.
Duration: June 29th– September 14 th, 2013
Location: VISIONQUEST gallery, Piazza Invrea 4r, 16123 Genova, Italy +39 010 2468771 +39 339 7534993
Gallery Hrs.: from Wednesday to Saturday 3.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m and by appointment.
Web Site: www.visionquest.it
E-mail: info@visionquest.it
Press Release
Lorella Klun, in the critical text that accompanies the exhibition “Mutazioni” by Gian Luca Groppi, describes him as “a modern storyteller, who mixes cards and genres, giving his works a caustic lyricism that deliberately does not offer solutions or panaceas, but is rather an attempt at trying to shake us from widespread social and emotional inertia.”
And here he is again the "storyteller", who brings together in this exhibition years of works that he himself calls "his only children."
“B(e)sides” is a collection of different works, in so far as size, content and forms are concerned, but, as always, through his visually surreal and ironic style, the always attentive and refined theatrical atmosphere of he who invents, designs and builds sets, they all tell stories of the instability, ambiguity and the continuous existential search of today's humanity.
In the images that constitute "B(e)sides", the staging of the works seems to want to make each character conscious of having finally found an author willing to tell his or her story. The color photograph of the girl who cuts a lock of her hair with a knife, not only marks the passage by the photographer to color, but it tells about the inevitable transition from adolescence to adulthood, to be also intended as a gift. "Flora" tells of the loss of innocence, which is not always negative, but can "flourish" into other experiences. In the "Seekers" the washtub with the man trying to find something on the bottom becomes a metaphor for humanity and its incessant need to always find the meaning of life. The result is only a handful of clay and the awareness that others are constantly searching without finding answers, except for a handful of mud that slips between our fingers which, after all, is the matter where we come from and where we will end up. In "Denied" through an almost subdued preparationtion of a neutral surface, we are preparing to absorb all the cruelty and waste of a society ready to nullify us. In "Apathy", through the use of an acrostic as a form of language, Groppi wants to represent through a performative act, an emotional condition (APATHY), so dear to westerners which does not belong, however, to a country like Cambodia, despite all its tragedies of the recent past.
These images, which Groppi calls "my only children, that is to say my safety valves: each work is governed by visions, flashes without much meditation", are characterized by a remarkably formal but also original and unusual ability for compositional synthesis, along with a cultured and refined noir vein, generate messages or reflections on our contemporary world, our existence and coexistence.
Technical Info
Silver Gelatine Prints printed by the author, various editions + 1 a.p., various sizes
Digital Fine Art Print, edition of 5 + 1 a.p., size 8 pieces cm 11 x cm 14
Installation: Mixed media with digital fine art print, edition of 2 + 1a.p.
Biography
Gian Luca Groppi was born in Piacenza in 1970, since 2012 he has been living and working in Genova.
Among his solo exhibitions:
“Mutazioni”, Paris, Galerie Hautefeuille, 2012
“Mutazioni” – Brescia, Wavephotogallery, 2012
“L'Ultima Mutazione” - Piacenza, Spazio Biffi, 2011
“L'Ultima Mutazione di Groppi” - Acqui Terme, Palazzo Chiabrera, 2010
"Mutazioni" Festival START - Galleria Joyce&Co - Genova 2007
"Mutazioni e altre storie" Galleria MICAMERA - Milano 2007
"Il ritorno" Museo della fotografia - Bibbiena 2006
"I" Galleria Joyce&Co - Genova 2005
"I" Internazionale di fotografia - Solighetto 2005
"Kilometri" Casa del Popolo - Lodi 2003
"Kilometri" Festival Internazionale "Carovane" 2003
"Duality" - Grazzano Visconti (PC) 2000
His latest collectives: “on your feet!” Vision Quest e Unimediamodern contempory art - Genova 2012, curators Clelia Belgrado and Caterina Gualco. “13. Fotosre?anje” - Gorizia Galerija 75, 2011 curator Lorella Klun. "...erba e fior che la gonna..."Vision Quest e Unimediamodern contempory art-Genova 2011, curators Clelia Belgrado and Caterina Gualco. ''Skorporo'',Pinacoteca Comunale ''Giovanni da Gaeta'', Gaeta(LT),2011, curator Adriana Soldini. “Save our skiers”, Galleria De Faveri, Servo di Suvramonte (Belluno), 2011, curator Viviana Siviero. “Outside the wall” Galleria Alexander Alvarez - Alessandria 2010, curator Viviana Siviero. "Matieres sensibles" Lille. Milan Festival photoPomezia Uno Gallery - Milano 2009. "Art prize laguna 2008" Giardini della biennale - Venezia 2008."Arte fotografica" Galleria dell'Istituto Romeno - Venezia 2008. "Suoni e visioni 3" curator Fabrizio Boggiano - Amburgo- Genova - Copenaghen - San Marino 2006/7. "Fotosintesi" festival internazionale di fotografia - Piacenza 2006. "Ecce homo" MIM - curator Fabrizio Boggiano and Dars - San Pietro in Cerro 2005. "I" Convitto nazionale Cicognini" - Prato 2004
A selection of his many awards and prices: Hon. Mention at Premio Celeste 2010, Finalist "Art prize Laguna 2008" - Venezia 2008, Special Mention "Art Prize Laguna 2008" - Venezia 2008, Second place Concorso fotografico "Crediamo ai tuoi occhi" Bibbiena (AR) portfolio 2006, Second Best Italian Portfolio "Portfolio 2004" Prato 2004, First Price Concorso fotografico "lettura portfolio" Bibbiena (AR) 2004, First price Concorso fotografico "Crediamo ai tuoi occhi" Bibbiena (AR) portfolio 2004
He has been a curator for various collectives such as “LABIRINTI E UMANITA'” at Galleria d'Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi in Piacenza (Festival Carovane 2006, with the partecipation of Director Giuliano Montaldo) and “CADUCITA'” at Joyce & Co. in Genova, 2010.