Treviso sets the stage for grace and beauty with ‘Facing Grace’, the groundbreaking exhibition by Swiss artist Simon Berger organized by Cris Contini Contemporary in collaboration with the Municipality of Treviso in the spaces of Casa Robegan, Treviso Civic Museums. The exhibition, curated by Sandrine Welte and Pasquale Lettieri and supported by Cristian Contini and Fulvio Granocchia, is part of the cultural program sponsored by the City Council and supported by Banca Prealpi SanBiagio.
Considering the connection between the city of Treviso and Canova’s birthplace in Possagno, Simon Berger is inspired by the work of the celebrated neoclassical sculptor to develop an exhibition concept that aims to give a new interpretation of Canova’s complex oeuvre; a confrontation with the Maestro’s unique sculptural language that transposes Berger’s personal aesthetic research on the human form to Canova’s typical mythological repertoire.
FACING GRACE
15 DECEMBER 2023 – 11 FEBRUARY 2024
Treviso Civic Museums | Casa Robegan Via Antonio Canova 38, Treviso, Italy
Hours:
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
The Swiss artist takes as a starting point the extraordinary example of sculptural virtuosity in composition and movement of Canova’s “Three Graces”. The Three Graces – Euphrosyne (cheerfulness), Thalia (youthful beauty) and Aglaea (elegance) – are broken down and, through Simon Berger’s technique of ‘Morphogenesis’, are re-proposed on cracked and shattered glass canvases as disjointed figures, giving rise to two-dimensional sculptural portraits that reveal their distinctive characters, their personal enchantment and mystery.
The mutual separation is overcome through an exhibition design that, by mounting the canvases vertically on the floor one after the other in a straight line, makes the work regain unity and allows different perspectives depending on the angle from which the viewer contemplates it. This subtle interplay of dissimulation and reconstruction is further highlighted by the isolation of distinct body parts, repurposed as details.
“In Simon Berger’s works”, Pasquale Lettieri declares, “what is not there claims a body of its own, while what is there tends to break down in the process of wakefulness and sleep, with the two contenders trying to swap places – like Borges’s two theologians – while all around is raging liquid and confused modernity.”
Closely related to the mythological narrative of the Three Graces, Berger’s ‘Facing Grace’ exhibition is expanded by the presence of his personal reimagining of Botticelli’s Venus. Formerly also taken up in the past by Andy Warhol and designed by him through ‘layers’ of pop-cultural significance, these ‘layers’ are now re-presented by Berger through an installation consisting of several glass panels, disassembled into their individual colors, which, presenting facial features on separate sheets, form a complete image only through superimposition. On this association and on the artist’s technical-artistic mastery, Sandrine Welte explains: “Berger’s approach is revolutionary, a new definition of painting and sculpture in a medium as yet little explored. The premises of a volumetric and spatial sculptural technique are reversed by him, challenging the ethics of a long-established practice, as the categories – and thus the lines of demarcation – between drawing, painting and sculpture begin to blur. His is a new language in which the sculptural force of the sculpting arm becomes the careful stroke of a drawing hand, etching figurative strokes on the flat surface of his glass canvas. A paradox that breaks with the orthodoxy of classifications: sculpted painting and painted sculpture.”
Further paying homage to Antonio Canova, on the second floor of Casa Robegan Simon Berger will display an installation depicting the Renaissance artist from all four sides of the museum room, as a two-dimensional abstraction of his three-dimensional self-portrait in sculpture. The room will also have a mirrored wall to play with self-perception and observation.
Carlo Antiga, President of Banca Prealpi SanBiagio, commented: “As part of Treviso’s bid to become the Italian Capital of Culture 2026, an ambitious project in which we are a partner of the municipal administration, we wanted to leave a tangible sign of our commitment by supporting ‘Facing Grace’, an exhibition that embodies that combination of tradition and innovation that has always characterized our territory. A territory in which for almost 130 years we have been committed to promoting cultural initiatives and enhancing the local artistic heritage. Indeed, our Cooperative Credit Institute is deeply convinced that responsible and sustainable community growth needs to be nurtured and supported by these aspects.”
“Simon Berger’s art is magnetic. It is the first word that came to my mind while admiring the installations of the Swiss artist, who I am proud to host at Ca’ Robegan – says Mario Conte, Mayor of Treviso – his way of ‘creating’ and ‘disintegrating’, adding meanings and interpretations, will surely involve visitors, making ‘Facing Grace’ an exhibition of great emotional intensity, perfectly inserted in the splendid context that, thanks to special devices in the arrangement of the rooms, will also enhance the environments in a continuous and magnificent dialogue with the works. For our Administration to propose artists like Simon Berger is a source of pride.”
ABOUT SIMON BERGER
Born April 9, 1976, in Switzerland. He lives and works from his studio in Niederönz. He began his artistic explorations by painting portraits with spray cans before moving on to other mediums. A carpenter by training, his natural attraction to wood inspired his first artistic creations within his studio. A lover of mechanics, he also spent a lot of time working with used car bodies to create assemblages. It was while pondering what to do with a car windshield that his idea of working with glass was born. “Human faces have always fascinated me”, explained Simon, “On safety glass, these patterns come into play and magically draw the viewer in. It is a process of discovery from abstract fogging to figurative perception.” Reminiscent of sculptural techniques, a hammer is used to imprint the highlighted facial features, while the controlled shattering of the glass creates fractures subject to the physical laws of matter: instead of collapsing in on itself, the safety glass holds the fragments in place. The incidence of light is reflected from the shards and cracks within the glass; depending on the lighting, it appears that the portrait itself glows.
CRIS CONTINI CONTEMPORARY
The international gallery Cris Contini Contemporary was founded in 2018 by Cristian Contini and Fulvio Granocchia and is located in the heart of London. Cris Contini Contemporary offers collectors from all over the world access to an eclectic and multicultural portfolio of artists: from the great modern masters such as Pablo Picasso, Lucio Fontana, Andy Warhol, and Robert Indiana to the most esteemed contemporary artists such as David Begbie, Endless, Antonio Freiles, Michelangelo Galliani, Ferruccio Gard, Michal Jackowski, Gioni David Gioni, Jeff Robb, and many others. Cris Contini Contemporary recently participated in the organization and management of a National Pavilion at the 59. International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia 2022. Thanks also to its continuous new international collaborations, the gallery is an unfailing reference point for art enthusiasts and collectors from all over the world.
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