Marzia Migliora - Stilleven
"The installation, conceived for the Italian Pavilion of the 2015 Venice Biennale, is the re-enactment of a photograph the artist took about twenty years ago, in the farmhouse where her father lived. The image depicted an expanse of corncobs reflecting off the reflective surface of a wardrobe. Migliora re-enacts the "unintended installation" from her photograph by building a device for representation which, just as the still life genre, bears allegorical meaning. The artist reimagines a familiar scene from everyday life and connects it to a vaster context, i.e. Italy's rich agricultural heritage. Reflecting on the concept of the wunderkammer, the artist created an observation device, and placed it behind the wardrobe: it challenges the perception of what is actually inside and outside the room and, at the same time, it gives back an additional glimpse of the "absent images" connected to the staged narrative. Layering visions from distinct locations and time frames, Migliora reflects on how images take form, and on how the use of photography opens up the possibility of an array of different perspectives, capable of engaging the viewer in an unprecedented exploration of reality", from the artist website.
Fhoto credit: Installation, 1 wardrobe 200 x 190 x 50 cm, 1.7 tons of corncobs, 1 mirror 380 x300 x 4 cm, wardrobe containing lenses and optical instruments, environment dimensions 500 x 700 x 400 cm, installation view Padiglione Italia, 56th Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Venice, ph. F. Ambrosio. Courtesy the artist
