Exhibition "Rupture of the plot" by Elisa Sighicelli

A Leme Gallery presents Plot Break, the artist's first solo exhibition Elisa Sighicelli in Brazil. The exhibition presents a site-specific installation with 14 never-before-seen photographs, all taken in São Paulo. Sighicelli is concerned with the construction of images and the phenomenology of visualization, exploring the possibilities of the medium. Beyond mere photographic records, his works often respond to context and transfigure ignored details through the sculptural qualities that define the space of light. By focusing on these details, the artist challenges the established hierarchy, bringing what is seemingly insignificant to the foreground.

On a visit to São Paulo last year, at the gallery's invitation, Sighicelli was struck by the fact that the iconic Copan building had been hidden for years behind a protective net. This network, along with the blurred cityscapes beyond it, became the subject of her new series of photographs, presented in a site-specific installation comprised of three modular structures designed by the artist to display the works. The design of these structures replicates the grid pattern of the concrete panels of the gallery walls.

The exhibition explores the concept of the abstract modernist grid, seen in the reality of the Copan network, in the pattern of the gallery walls, in the design of the exhibition structures and in the urban landscape of São Paulo. The grid is equal parts literal and metaphorical.

When exploring the architecture of the Copan building, Sighicelli noticed tears – ruptures – in the fabric of its protective network. By placing the network in the foreground, these 'ruptures' were translated in his photographs as portals to observe the city's scenery. They also allude to a 'rupture' in the idea of ​​perfection of the abstract modernist grid, highlighting how reality interrupts the unfinished project of Modernism.

The artist digitally manipulates her images to emphasize their painterly qualities, while also focusing on the material quality of the photographs. The larger works are printed on a fabric selected for its luminous quality. The backs of the works are covered with monochromatic fabric, the colors of which were purposefully created by the artist to match the chromatic effects of the photographs. The back and the reverse are placed in direct dialogue in the exhibition, as the photographs, hanging in the independent structures, are facing both sides. The viewer's perception of the physicality of the photographs and the careful choreography of the exhibition experience are central to the artist's research.

Lorenzo Fusi, says: “Elisa Sighicelli’s new body of work is almost retro futurist, in the way it ambiguously positions photography at the intersection of different disciplines, while also challenging its language and conventions.”

Service
Exhibition | Plot Break
From August 15th to September 28th
Tuesday to Friday 10am to 19pm, Saturdays 10am to 17pm