PSC Blog

A Traveller's Dream: Piranesi and Rome by Graziano Panfili

Written by Peter | 19 February 2014 3:07:54 AM

Istituto Italiano di Cultura Melbourne
233 Domain Road South Yarra
Exhibition Opening: Tuesday, February 25, 6.30-9pm
Exhibition Dates: 26 February – 30 April 2014

This work was proudly printed by Peter Hatzipavlis at The PrintShop@PSC using our Fine Art Print services.

Lisa Golden, a former PSC student, has been handling the practical aspects of producing Graziano Panfili's work here in Australia for the exhibition.

The exhibition is in association with "Rome: Piranesi’s Vision", presented by the State Library of Victoria in partnership with the Library of University of Melbourne.

Graziano Panfili’s images provide a unique, dream-like interpretation of famous Roman locations and monuments immortalised in Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s etchings from more than 200 years ago.

Panfili spent time studying Piranesi's vedute or views of Rome, and exploring these places as they are now. In his search for his desired visual interpretation for the series, Graziano tried experimenting with a piece of coloured transparency in front of the lens - and so the visual identity of the work was born! The result is an almost surreal vision, with images of the Eternal City and beyond that almost seem out-of-time.

As Graziano went along, reinterpreting and photographing the views of Rome of the past, he began to wonder, "If Piranesi was alive now, what would he have etched?". This reflection led him to broaden the series with a group of works depicting modern features of the Roman architectural landscape, which fit perfectly into his reinterpretation of Piranesi's views, but also work as a stand-alone series.

"A Traveller's Dream: Piranesi and Rome" was produced specially for this exhibition at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura and so it is the first time this work is being shown. It is also Graziano's first exhibition in Australia.

http://www.onoffpicture.com/agency/photographers/graziano-panfili/

http://www.grazianopanfili.com/

Graziano Panfili/OnOff Picture A Traveller's Dream: Piranesi and Rome