On 16 October at 6.00 pm, MAR will host the opening of the new exhibition project by Nicola Samorì, one of the most important Italian artists on the international contemporary scene: Supremalia, curated by Denis Isaia.
A journey through memory, matter and metamorphosis, in dialogue with the Gipsoteca and Ravenna’s artistic heritage.
Ravenna is, in fact, the city where Samorì developed his visual imagination, having been exposed from a very young age to the light of the Byzantine mosaics, the monumentality of the marble in the basilicas and the plaster casts in the Gipsoteca of the Academy of Fine Arts. Today, that connection takes the form of a unique exhibition project, conceived specifically for the spaces of the MAR. The artist’s works engage in dialogue with the Canova casts in the Gipsoteca and with the city’s historical heritage, creating an exhibition itinerary in which past and present are constantly intertwined.
The title Supremalia is a neologism formed by combining the prefix ‘super’ – meaning ‘that which is above’, representing the highest level, excellence – with the word ‘malia’, which evokes charm, enchantment and that power of seduction which is difficult to resist. ‘Malia’ also evokes the power of a bewitching gaze, capable of attracting and captivating the observer. The title thus encapsulates the idea of seduction elevated to its utmost intensity, in which attraction and desire become the very heart of the visual experience.