Souvenirs d’Italie

On Friday September 14th, 2012 at 19.00 Podbielski Contemporary in Berlin hosts the first solo exhibition of Raffaela Mariniello (*1961, Naples) in Germany.

Raffaela Mariniello’s meticulously crafted photographs are in the vein of the Social realism tradition. Her attention seeks to analyse the transformation of the urban, industrial and landmark landscapes and man’s interaction with his surroundings and everyday objects.
In depicting such iconic scenes, she conveys in each image a poetic sense of awe and indignation.

The show ”Souvenirs d’Italie” is the final result of a project initiated in 2006. Its objective is to witness the transformations of Italy’s landmarks in some of the country’s most evocative cities, as they are being aggressed by mass tourism.
Much of Italy, the country of the Grand Tour in the 18th century, has sadly become a big entertainment park. Major artistic sites are being invaded yet not really explored, cities are consumed yet not really understood, and the relentless tourist has become a greedy and superficial spectator of unique wonders.
In the evocative historical centres of Rome, Naples, Florence, Venice, Pisa and Milan, among many others, Raffaela Mariniello has reflected, with her own very sharp ironic and poetic insight, on such a devastating phenomena. She assesses how conformist consumerism has deprived these sites of their original identities and how city centres have become immense global megalopolis showcases.

The photographic series taken in “Italia in Miniatura”, an entertainment theme park where models of major monuments in Italy and Europe are displayed, allows the artist to consolidate her research, by shooting images in which the perception between reality and fiction is so subtle it causes confusion.

The current exhibition will feature:
A video, describing Raffaela Mariniello’s work in progress, a large light box of Piazza Plebiscito in Naples, a large format C-Print and an installation made of various formats.

Raffaela Mariniello lives and works between Naples and Milan.
Among her most noteworthy projects:
Bagnoli (1991), which documents the closing of an important steel factory overlooking the gulf of Naples.
Napoli veduta immaginaria (2001), a series of images devoted to her home city, focusing on industrial and post industrial urban landscapes.
A study on Mediterranean harbour cities, from Marseille to Athens and Beirut, shown in Cardiff (Wales)
Souvenirs d’Italie (2006-2011), a show curated by Achille Bonito Oliva in Villa Pignatelli Casa della Fotografia in Naples, with a catalogue published by Skira.