An explosion of light, colour and matter invades Ravenna with I’M A MOSAIC!, the great exhibition that celebrates the centenary of the School of Mosaics of the Ravenna Academy of Fine Arts. From a mosaics perspective, this is an unprecedented journey through 20th and 21st century art, in which chefs-d’oeuvre by masters like Severini, Sironi and Fontana encounter the contemporary visions of Paladino, Plessi and Samorì. Promoted by MAR, the City of Ravenna Art Museum and the Ravenna State Academy of Fine Arts, curated by Paola Babini, Giovanna Cassese, Emanuela Fiori and Giovanni Gardini, this extraordinary exhibition interweaves past and future, revealing how mosaics, from an ancient tradition, have become an avant-garde language that continues to evolve and fascinate. The exhibition route tells of the birth and development of an ancient art which, starting from Ravenna and thanks to the School of Mosaics of today’s Academy, is projected into the contemporary world and into the future.
A timeless revival of an art
In 1924 mosaic art began to live another golden age with the creation of the School of Mosaics, continuing in 1948 with the foundation of the Mosaicist Group. These masters succeeded not only in preserving the age-old technique that made Ravenna famous all over the world, but also in reinventing it, expanding its boundaries and creating an artistic language that has come to the fore as one of the most innovative and contemporary expressions.
Ravenna artists, taking advantage of their unique experience in the restoration of antique mosaics, took up the challenge of getting this centuries-old tradition to evolve. Following the suggestions of the great 20th century masters, they managed to free mosaic work from its dependence on pictorial cartoons, rendering it an autonomous form of art with the capacity to interact with design, street furniture, sculpture and digital space. This transformation marked a decisive turning point for Ravenna, which strengthened its role as a mosaic art hub and launched the city onto the international contemporary art scene.
Great masters and the contemporary world
Light, matter and fragmenting are features of the works of absolute masters like Gino Severini, Mario Sironi and Lucio Fontana, artists who have given a new form to mural art and the artistic language of the 20th century. The exhibition is enriched with contributions from the Transavantgarde, a movement in which Mimmo Paladino and Sandro Chia stand out, and with the visionary installations of contemporary masters like Fabrizio Plessi and Davide Coltro, in addition to the unique experience of Nicola Samorì. Over 100 works from public and private collections provide a wide-ranging and immersive view of the relations that mosaics, starting from Ravenna, have taken up with the new generations of artists.
An experiential layout
The layout combines works of art, narration, multimedia exhibits and workshop experiences, also in the light of the permanent collection of the City of Ravenna Art Museum’s modern and contemporary mosaics that complete the exhibition.
I’M A MOSAIC! is not only the title of the exhibition, but also a statement of identity that sees the Academy as a place in which mosaics turn their gaze to the contemporary world and to the future. Each fragment is unique, each work is the outcome of a creative process that makes the mosaic an autonomous form of art with the capability of expressing singularity and expressive force. This celebration of a century of excellence comes to a climax in an unprecedented artistic experience as the exhibition extends to the precious City of Ravenna Art Museum’s Contemporary Mosaics Collection.