Vik Muniz. Afterglow
de Luca Massimo Barbero, Vik Muniz
The seemingly enigmatic title of 'Afterglow' in fact alludes to this central theme of ruins, as explained by Muniz himself: "Afterglow is the scattering of red sunlight on atmospheric particles that causes the sky to turn bright pink after the sun goes down or before it rises. It is like a material memory of its bright period, a residue, a lingering reminiscence. Ruins are the afterglow of brilliant civilizations, something that while documenting a fact also attests to its extinction.?0Thus began Muniz?s new series, Afterglow; inspired by the Italian capriccio, the Venetian tradition and masterful paintings by artists from the Fondazione Giorgio Cini collection such as Francesco Guardi, Dosso Dossi and Canaletto. Works by artists such as Caspar David Friedrich and Giovanni Paolo Panini also became the objects of study and interpretation by an artist who is known for his re-creations of iconic and historically significant paintings. 0These extraordinarily bold large-scale colour photographs, displayed alongside a unique handmade sculpture made of Murano glass and produced at Berengo Studio 1989, are representative of the artist?s return to the roots of his inspiration: the relationship between Vik Muniz and the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, with its priceless collection of ancient art which proves able to inspire even the most irreverent contemporary artist. 00Exhibition: Palazzo Cini, Venice, Italy (21.04.-15.11.2017).
