In Bologna, the first anthological exhibition in Italy of Nicola Samorì

From April 8, 2021 Palazzo Fava in Bologna will host the first Italian anthological exhibition dedicated to Nicola Samorì (Forlì, 1977), from the artist’s beginnings to his most recent works. It will be titled Sfregi and will be open to the public until July 25, 2021.

Curated by Alberto Zanchetta and Chiara Stefani, the exhibition will retrace Samorì’s art through eighty works ranging from sculpture to painting and will provide an understanding of the artistic journey he has undertaken over the past twenty years. It is a project of Genus Bononiae. Musei nella Città, with the support of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Bologna, specially designed for the rooms of the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Bologna.

Samorì trained precisely at the city’s Academy of Fine Arts, and his style and poetics were already clear, linked to a profound need to flog the serenity of images, which he then maintained and developed over the years by experimenting with new techniques. The artist intends to disturb, transgress and transfigure pre-existing images in his works.

His works will be in dialogue with the precious Carracci frescoes that decorate the main floor of the palace: in the Salon with The Myth of Jason and Medea, a body of work dating to the last decade of Samorì’s activity will seem to react to the Carracci paintings, while thanks to works centered on the burn of copper, with a focus on the theme of desinare and the emaciated body, the artist will attempt a chromatic upheaval of the Hall of Ludovico Carracci’s pupils. The room painted by Francesco Albani will host a “chamber of wonders” of vegetable and animal subjects, while the Sala delle Grottesche will host the monumental Malafonte fresco. The exhibition itinerary will also be enriched by some works from the Fondazione Carisbo’s Art and History Collections (which also include the large Anatomical Garden by the same artist), establishing an “elective affinity” not only with the spaces but also with the same heritage of the museum venue. Among the works on display are Canova’s Penitent Magdalene and portraits of blind women by Annibale Carracci.

The rooms on the second floor will display small- and medium-format works that develop individual themes or constitute focuses on the different techniques used by the artist: blinding of the image, aggregation of waste materials, painting on stone, drawing and sculpture. More intimate works that allow visitors to learn about Samorì’s vast and complex production and his obsessive research that allowed him to differentiate himself from today’s art scene.

“This anthological exhibition, the first in Italy, is meant to be an acknowledgement of the artist’s career, which is presented to the public with a rich and comprehensive exhibition that embraces his entire creative journey: an attempt to lay bare the history of art, which looms from the very walls of the palace,” says Fabio Roversi-Monaco, president of Genus Bononiae. “I think Samorì has all the character to hold such an ambitious dialogue, and I am happy to welcome to Palazzo Fava a young man from our land, who has been able to impose himself internationally. His works make us reflect and move, rediscovering the thaumaturgic value of art, which we need more than ever today.”

The exhibition has the patronage of the City of Bologna and the Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna.

For info: www.genusbononiae.it

Image: Nicola Samorì, Anulante (2018)

In Bologna, the first anthological exhibition in Italy of Nicola Samorì

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