This semester in Rome I have been fortunate enough to obtain an internship at the Spazio Nuovo Contemporary Art Gallery, working for owners and curators Paulo Mouriz and Guillame Maitre. I have been having a wonderful time working at the gallery and learning what it is like to have a career in the contemporary art world. Recently, we opened a new exhibition at the gallery showing the work of French photographer Olivier Roller.
Paulo and I setting up for the exhibition, moments before people flooded the gallery.
The centerpiece to the exhibition. “Lucius Verus”
The evening was extremely successful, with a huge crowd coming to see this contemporary photographer’s work and to support the gallery and the owners.
Artists, friends, collectors, reporters and dozens of other people gathered in Spazio Nuovo.
Olivier Roller’s photographs focus on the images of Roman portrait busts as seen in museums such as the Louvre in Paris. He shoots his subjects in sharp chiaroscuro in order to reveal their vulnerability and show how fleeting the idea of power really is. His photographs highlight the imperfections in the statues as a way to highlight the imperfections of the man in each portrait. The cracks in the marble become wrinkles and pockmarks on the skin. Each photograph is still incredibly strong though, and it is clear that each man held a great deal of power in his time.
Guillame explaining the artist’s intentions to the people at the opening.
The opening went on for hours with people talking and mingling over champagne and wine. The night proved to be extremely successful and the gallery was even able to sell a few photographs during the evening. Some of my friends here in Rome were nice enough to join me at the opening and see what my internship life is like; I really appreciated them coming to support me.
The opening was so popular that the guests spilled out into the street in front of the gallery.
The experiences and opportunities here in Rome have been amazing. Working at the Spazio Nuovo gallery is definitely a highlight of my semester abroad.
-Lauren