The Palazzo delle Esposizioni It is one of the largest exhibition spaces in the center of Rome and certainly is one quality standards are among the highest in the Italian museum landscape. A robust technological equipment allows to host events and initiatives among the most innovative, ranging from painting to photography, multimedia and technological installations. This spring, in particular, the Palazzo delle Esposizioni It has opened two exhibitions of international level, marked by the contemporary accents ... if not Futurist: shots of World Press Photo 2018, Italian premiere in Rome and futuristic Human+, a journey to discover the evolutionary and technological future of the human species.
The Rome Garden could not pass up an opportunity so tempting, a few steps from his garden: It was enough, then set off on Via Nomentana, toward the center and Via Nazionale, in the pleasant warmth of an afternoon in May, and pass through the doors of the art gallery.
World Press Photo 2018
The World Press Photo It is an international non-profit organization founded in Amsterdam in 1955, which heads the most important and prestigious world award in the field of photojournalism. In a world where communication and sharing of images have become massive phenomena and massificati, it is increasingly important that international caliber organizations encourage and support the development of high professional standards. The exhibition World Press Photo then it arises in front of the eyes of visitors not only as an exhibition of great artistic value, but as a benchmark of photographic and journalistic veracity expertise; as a bulwark against the amateurism as against disinformation and manipulation of information, Today more than ever, also pass by the reporter shots.
For the edition 2018, The jury awarded 42 photography, coming from 22 countries, among which 5 Italian. You can walk along the walls of the exhibition rooms, scrolling through the photos as a gallery of superb slides: testimonies documenting, with expressive power superior to any written, our historical time. Difficult to remain impassive in the face of shots from all over the world, that weave different strands in a tapestry of decline and decay, illuminated here and there by rare glimpses of tenuous optimism. They dominate portraits of humanity that lives in the shadow of Western progress: refugees, defeated, fugitives, prostitute; but also soldiers, guerrillas, nationalists and extremists. Looks that immortalize threatened animals from extinction and cultures besieged by globalization; women oppressed by religion and traditions and workers crushed by the rhythms of modern economics. All images dominates shooting honored as overall winner for the edition 2018: l’now famous image of a Venezuelan boy, Victor Salazar José Balza, fleeing and engulfed in flames, during clashes in Caracas last May.
Although there is no moralizing intent in selecting the winners, certainly deserving judged shots betray a certain theme and emotional affinity. But the drama of the works is far from representing an aggravation of “politically correct”, a pathetic celebration, or an easy trick to capture the viewer's attention.
Rather the tragic intensity of the images enhances and brings to light the true meaning of photojournalism: or its vocation to be a document and testimony, non-technical and aesthetic exercise an end in itself. The mirror of an era and a contemporary looming threats charge, portrayed with such outrageous bluntness overwhelmed by the observer. So we remain mesmerized and stunned in front of the subjects of the photographs, almost forgetting the technical expertise and artistic taste that distinguishes each piece exposed.
Human+
For those who already have some familiarity with issues relating to the development of human potential and the expansion of biological possibilities through new technologies, this show might possibly prove a bit’ redundant and didactic. If you are ignorant of such matters, get ready to discover a world of high-performance prostheses, devices able to expand the limits of human senses and genetically modified organisms. Onto two floors, the exhibition offers a broad overview on the many roads taken by the man in an attempt to overcome his biological limits.
Paths that undertake the most different directions: from surgery, able to install antennas capable of translating into sound frequencies of light refraction (allowing the colorblind to perceive different colors) the wildest experiments in the development of artificial intelligences. Bioingegneria, converting body energy after death, Euthanasia and robotics.
There is a lot of irons in the fire, perhaps arranged in a somewhat’ confusing and without a clear and readable narrative exhibition. The overall assessment is not entirely positive, but we must take account of the relevant public: certainly it can be an interesting experience to share with family, perhaps with their children, to understand and get along with the consciousness of some possible future scenarios. Moreover, the cost of the ticket includes not only the two exposures reported here, but also a retrospective on Cesare Heels and shows a lab-on Magritte: how to tell a whole cultural package in one enticing special offer!
