Marco Abrate: Peek behind the curtain
Former artist-in-residence at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel Marco Abrate from Italy is showing his recent works in the solo exhibition 'Peek behind the Curtain' at MA-EC Gallery (Milan, Italy).
Marco Abrate, known in the Street Art world by the pseudonym "Rebor", conceived the idea for this exhibition in 2023 during his residency at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai (China), which supports the project.
The fundamental premise behind Marco Abrate's new research is that the "Millennials" generation (to which the artist himself belongs) is characterized by a greater use of digital technologies and extreme familiarity with social media. These individuals showcase themselves, their relationships, and their emotions for the camera, reflecting a condition of media overexposure and large-scale consumption. The online dimension is radically changing how we live reality itself, not only in terms of art consumption but also in the perception of private feelings such as love.
In a society completely dominated by the "spectacularization" of media, the "overexposure" of emotions, and the fast consumption of digital images, Marco Abrate's project "Peek Behind The Curtain" aims to overturn today's concept of exposure. First of all, the artist reconstructs the “frame of material, technological, and institutional fiction” (Boris Groys) in which the artworks must be experienced. The gallery is no longer a white cube but is transformed into a real home to be lived in and explored: the rooms function as domestic spaces such as the living room, bedroom, and private garden. The condition of fiction is immediately revealed in the first room, where a pink curtain (a color that recurs throughout the artist's production as a distinctive feature) acts as a theatrical backdrop.
The entire exhibition is built on the theme of mystery, secrecy, and revelation: the fifteen paintings created by the artist, in addition to being displayed on the walls, are hidden within this architectural set, and the viewer is called upon to step out of the apathy of a passive observer to live a participatory and immersive experience.
Marco Abrate was in residence at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel from May to August 2023. Discover his trace!
Venue: MA-EC Gallery,Palazzo Durini,Via Santa Maria Valle, 2, 20123 Milan (Italy)
Dates: September 18 to October 12, 2024
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday: 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM; Saturday: 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM
