Second Life Landmark http://slurl.com/secondlife/Westphalia/60/185/25
GALLERY EXTERIOR
At noon on Saturday, July 31st, Casa di Icaro Cadente Gallery officially opened its doors to the public. Nestled in the rustic Neapolitan village of Bassano, in the Principality of Melioria, House of Icarus Falling has revealed its first exhibition on the Renascent and Baroque approaches to the golden legend of martyr Saint Sebastian. As curator VictoireLouise Evanier explains, the collection of over 140 pieces (be they paintings, statues, sketches, woodblocks, or icons), theoretically seeks to reevaluate homosocial phallocentrism and historical psychosexual ideology by reinterpreting the pieces through Jacques Lacan's concept of jouissance.
The exhibition began with a speech from gallery director MaximilianIII Massenberg not only welcoming everyone in attendance but also giving an overview of the collection's history and purpose. He explains, "One unique feature of this gallery . . . is that there is more here than simply a collection of Saint Sebastian paintings. Hidden behind canvases and paints is an idea which has heretofore not been explored by aesthetes or gender critics." Mr. Massenberg's speech ends with a single question: "Were these sacred artists perhaps hiding a subversive reappraisal of male sexed identity?"
This thought-provoking event was well attended (over thirty heads counted). Some of the responses to "Saint Sebastian: Agony and Ecstasy" were "A magnificent collection, an obsession....well done" and "Wow...adds a new meaning to the concept of humanism." Everyone was very impressed with the gallery's show.
The art director also announced plans for three lectures/discussions during the next three months (one per month) before the exhibit is closed in late October and a new exhibit is opened. For more information on upcoming shows and lectures, visit the gallery's page at http://casa-di-icaro-cadente.blogspot.com or subscribe to its group via a kiosk at the gallery itself.
As my interview with the gallery director MaximilianIII Massenberg came to an end, he explained one further point. "Many visitors have asked me about the gallery's name--Casa di Icaro Cadente. While it is true that I named the palazzo after the ceiling reproduction of Blondel's "Le Soleil, ou la Chute d'Icare," I had further reasoning. The mythological figure of Icarus represents the human endeavor to mentally and physically strive towards the light. As Icarus enters into the radiance of the sun (metaphorically 'truth'), he is burned by it, purified by it, and ultimately changed by it."
We at the Primgraph wish Casa di Icaro Cadente a fruitful season.
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