Entitled Atelier of light and memory, the exhibition showcases nine works of varied dimensions by Modica, four of which were specifically created for his first visit to Australia.
In addition to Sydney’s exhibition, a corpus of five works will be displayed at the Italian Ambassador's residence in Canberra, while IIC Melbourne will also reveal two small Modica pieces as part of art collector, Silvano Merlatti’s collection.
The much anticipated exhibition will be opened by the Italian Ambassador Pierfrancesco Zazo, in the presence of Modica, while Dr Sasha Grishin, art critic and Emeritus Professor at the School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics of the Australian National University in Canberra, will introduce the series.
As the title indicates, each of the pieces prepared for the exhibition explores the interaction between light, memory, geometry and singularity.
IIC Sydney director, Donatella Cannova also adds that the series reflects the specific “Mediterranean light” that Giuseppe Modica has captured throughout his career spanning four decades.
Born in the Sicilian town of Mazara del Vallo in 1953, Modica moved to Florence at the age of 18 to study at the Academy of Fine Arts.
Fourteen years later, the talented artist moved to Rome where he continues to live today, working as a professor of Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts.
A selection of Modica masterpieces are permanently on show at the Collezione Farnesina of the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Rome, and his personal collections have been exhibited in both Italy and France.
Ms Cannova explains that much of Modica’s work represents his ability to interweave tradition and the past with innovation and the future.
“Giuseppe Modica has a wide knowledge of the history of art, especially in Europe and throughout all of the European movements, from before the Italian Renaissance to contemporary times,” she says.
“You can see this knowledge layered in his paintings.”
Modica’s “absolutely recognisable” work is laced with references to the past and his predecessors, from the presence of the famous dodecahedron used previously by Albrecht Dürer in his carving Melencolia I, to more recent 20th century influences such as Giorgio de Chirico.
“Modica moves linearly from the past to the present and is able to speak with the past using a contemporary voice,” Ms Cannova explains.
The IIC is honoured to host one of Italy’s most influential contemporary artists, and Ms Cannova looks forward to sharing the “Italian way to contemporary art” with the Australian public.
“When we say that there is a specific way Italian painters and artists look at art, we mean that they have this knowledge and awareness of where they come from, who the masters of the past are, and the necessity to open a dialogue with these important traditions,” she says.
“Whoever looks at Giuseppe Modica’s work can recognise the influences of Piero della Francesca, Dürer and de Chirico, reinvented through the research and work undertaken by Modica on a daily basis for over forty years.”
It’s Giuseppe Modica’s ability to remember the past while reflecting the present and foreseeing the future, which has seen him recognised as an artistic genius on the international stage.
And now it’s Australia’s turn to appreciate Italian contemporary art in all its glory.
For more information on the exhibition, visit IIC Syndey's website.
