Paolo Ventura
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Selected Works
The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls, 2023
This series is inspired by French writer Marcel Aymé’s famous short story, "Le Passe-Muraille". A very ordinary man, a modest employee living in Montmartre, has an extraordinary gift: he can walk through walls. Using this gift, he embarks on many adventures, burglars banks, frequents the best restaurants and begins a torrid affair with a married woman he met in the street...
Flowers and Cigarettes, 2021
Behind the Walls, 2011
This is the first project for which Ventura started using his own image in the works.
Collages, 2017-2019
Hand-painted panels with photographic collage, 30 panels (8x11.8in each).
About "Collages": I wanted to create very large works but had only small paper sheets. So I thought of breaking down the image, working on the components to be assembled. Using a module gives you a great freedom, potentially you can structure endless images".
Morte e Resurrezione #2, 2018
"Two young men leave their hometown on Lake Garda to go to work. On their way, Carlo encounters Death, who predicts him their future: Mario will survive the war while Carlo will be killed... But their fate will be different from what they imagined."
Ventura created this series for the Museo Alta Garda to celebrate de 100th anniversary of the Great War.
Quarantine Diary
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Biography
Biography
Italy , 1968-
Paolo Ventura (Italy, b. 1968) is a multimedia artist, using and matching different techniques (photography, collages, painting, sculpture, drawings, set design) all blended in two and three dimensions works. There is a hazy sense of timelessness in his works as he creates images of “invented worlds” or “ir-realities” where narrative play out like dreams, somewhere between fantasy and memory. For example he using cardboard and found objects from flea markets and eBay to construct a universe of elaborate dioramas filled with tiny details, which he then photographs as though they were life-size. The result is a cloudy, undefined atmosphere where narratives play out like dreams, somewhere between fantasy and memory. Though placed in ambiguous settings, his work often references the period surrounding World War II, as well as fantastical stories told by his father, a children’s book author.
Solo Exhibitions
2022 "Racconti Brevi", Teatro Franco Parenti, Milan, Italy
2021 "Racconti Immaginari", Villa Torlonia, San Mauro Pascoli, Italy
2021 Grazia Ricevuta, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Totonto, Canada
2021 "War & Flowers", Galleria Consadori; Milano; Italy
2020 "Carousel", Camera Centro Italiano per la Fotografia, Torino, Italy
2020 "Ex Voto", Flatland Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2020 "Quarantine Diary", Weinstein Hammond Gallery, Minneapolis, Usa
2020 "The Automaton", Műcsarnok Kunsthalle, Budapest, Hungary
2020 "An Invented World", Galerie XII, Los Angeles, Usa
2018 "The Silent City", Flatland Gallery, Amsterdam, Holland
2018 "Racconti Immaginari", Silos Armani, Milan, Italy
2018 "Racconti di Guerra", MAG Museo Alto Garda, Riva del Garda, Italy
2017 "Eclipse", Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York
2017 "The Last Days of Vacation", Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2017 Pagliacci, Camera, Italian Center for Photography, Turin, Italy
2016 Mystique Narratives II, Flatland Gallery, Amsterdam
2016 “Paolo Ventura. Obras de la Colecciòn Cotroneo”, Sala Municipales de Exposiciones, Valladolid, Spain
2016 Mystique Narratives I, Flatland Gallery, Amsterdam
2015 Un Mondo Infinito, Museum Het Valkhof, Nijmagen, The Netherlands
2015 La Città Infinita, Weinstein Gallery, Minneapolis
2015 Short Stories, Gallery Baton, Seoul, Korea
2014 L’Homme à la Valise, Fotokino, Marseille
2014 Träume , Die Galerie, Munich
2014 L'archivio Ritrovato di V.P., Palazzo dei Pio, Carpi
2013 The Infinite City, Atlas Gallery, London
2013 Il Mago Futurista, MART Casa d'Arte Futurista Depero, Rovereto
2013 The Infinite City, Hasted Kraeutler Gallery, New York
2013 Lo Zuavo Scomparso, Gallery Baton, Seoul, Korea
2013 il Teatro della Memoria, FAR Fabbrica Arte Rimini, Rimini
2013 La collezione di Kim e Paolo Ventura, Museo della Citta, Rimini
2012 Recent Works, Italian Academy at Columbia University, New York
2012 Lo Zuavo Scomparso, MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art of Roma, Rome
2012 Behind the Walls, Forma Gallery, Milan
2012 The Funeral of the Anarchist, Obsolete, Los Angeles
2011 The Automaton of Venice, Hasted Kraeutler Gallery, New York
2011 Behind the Walls, Photographica Fine Art Gallery, Lugano, Switzerland
2011 L'Automa, Museo Fortuny, Venice
2011 Selected Works, Gallery Baton, Seoul, Korea
2011 Winter Stories, Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, Charleston, South Carolina
2009 Winter stories, Hasted Hunt Kraeutler Gallery, New York
2009 Winter Stories, Galerie Camera Obscura, Paris
2009 Winter Stories, Studio la Citta', Verona
2009 Fabulous Fictions, The Hague Museum of Photography, The Hague
2009 Winter Stories, Central Exhibition Hall, Moscow
2008 Storie D'Inverno, Forma International Center of Photography, Milano
2008 Winter Stories, Hasted Hunt Gallery, New York
2007 Souvenir de Guerre, Maison de la Photographie Npdc, Lille
2007 Viaggio nella Memoria, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, Rome
2006 In Tempo di Guerra, Forma International Center of Photography, Milan
2006 Souvenir de Guerre, Rencontres de la Photographie, Arles
2006 War Souvenir, Hasted Hunt Gallery, New York
2006 War Souvenir, Lazia Nowa, Krakow
2006 War Souvenir, A-3 Gallery, Moscow
Group Exhibitions
2019 Make Believe: Fantasy, fairy tales and Magic from five contemporary photographers. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Usa.
2019 Commissione Roma 2003-2017 e le acquisizioni al patrimonio fotografico di Roma Capitale, Palazzo Braschi, Rome, Italy
2019 GIOSTRE Stories, Images, Games, Palazzo Roverella, Rovigo, Italy
2018 Of Individuals and Places, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Canada
2018 New Perspective, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Roma, Italy
2018 Age of Love, DongGang International Photo Festival, Seoul, South Korea
2018 Photologies, Biennale de la Photographie, Aubagne, France
2018 New Perspective, La Triennale, Milano, Italy
2017 Variazioni su un tema, Galleria Antonio Verolino, Modena, Italy
2017 Season Preview, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2017 Alfabeto Fotografico Romano, Collezioni e archivi fotografici di istituzioni culturali in Roma, Istituto Centrale per la Grafica, Palazzo Poli , Rome, Italy
2017 Fifteen Countries: On Loan from the Collection of Martin Z. Margulies at Aipad, New York
2017 Tonalità tangibili, Museo Nazionale del Cinema, Turin
2017 Là dove interviene il Disegno: La Fotografia. Fondazione Bottari - Lattes, Turin
2016 20 Years, Weinstein Gallery, Minneapolis, Usa
2016 Photomed, Festival of Mediterranean Photography, Sanary-sur-mer
2016 Fotografia Europea, La Via Emilia. Strade, viaggi e confini, Reggio Emilia
2015 Festival Photo La Gacilly, Bretagne
2015 Bienal Internacional Fotografica Bogota', Fotomuseo, Museo National de la Fotografia de Colombia
2015 Italia Inside Out, I Fotografi Italiani, Palazzo della Ragione, Milano
2015 Questa è guerra, Palazzo del Monte di Pietà, Padova
2014 La Guerra che Verrà Non è la Prima 1914-2014, MART Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rovereto
2014 Turning Point, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest
2014 La Mémoire Traversée, Eléphant Paname/Mois de la Photo, Paris
2014 Festival Internazionale di Fotografia di Roma, MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art, Rome
2014 Historia, Miradas de Artistas, Marco, Museo de Arte Contemporanea de Vigo
2014 Histoire, Regards d'Artistes, Hotel des Arts, Centre du Conseil General du Var, Toulun
2013 Next Stop Italy, The Phllips Collection, Washington D.C.
2012 Do You Remeber the First Time?, Atlas Gallery, London
2012 New Aquisitions from the MACRO Collection, MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art, Rome
2012 La Collezione di Italo Zannier, PARCO Galleria D'Arte Moderno e Contemporanea, Pordenone
2012 La Fotografia della Collezione Trevisan, MART Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rovereto
2012 The Silent Village, DOX Centre for Contemporary Art, Prague
2011 Sembianze, Galleria D'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Repubblica di San Marino
2011 54th Venice Biennial, Italian Pavilion, Venice
2011 Otherwordly, Museum of Art and Design, New York
2011 New Yorker Fiction/Real Photography, Steven Kasher Gallery, New York
2009 Manipulating Reality, Centro di Cultura Contemporanea Strozzina, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence
2009 Collection from Maison Europeenne de la Photographie, Instituto Itaù Cultural, Sao Paulo
2009 La Photographie Italiens des Annees 50 a Nos Jours, Centre National de l'Audiovisuel, Luxembourg
2009 Photography From the Permanent Collection, Lowe Art Museum, Miami
2009 New York Photographs, Hasted Hunt Gallery, New York
2008 Contemporary Photographic Views, Weinstein Gallery, Minneapolis
2008 Inside the Human Space, Isola di San Servolo, Venezia
2008 The New Original Photo, Interalla Gallery, Seoul
2008 Una Historia Privada, Theatro Circo Price, Madrid
2008 Ellis Island and Beyond, Aperture Gallery, New York
2008 Roma, Palazzo Delle Esposizioni, Roma
2008 Una Storia Privata, Museo Bilotti, Roma
2007 NYC, Phillips De Pury Gallery, New York
2007 Hunter and Hanted, Sara Tecchia Gallery, New York
2007 On the Wall, Aperture Gallery, New York
2007 Luci su Milano, New art acquisitions of Unicredit Bank, Milan
2006 Une Histoire Privee, Maison Europeenne de la Photographie, Paris
Public Collections
Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali, Museo di Roma – Palazzo Braschi, Rome
Boston Museum of Fine Art, Boston
Koo House Museum of Art and Design, South Korea
Istituto Centrale per la Grafica, Rome
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Lowe Art Museum, Miami
MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art, Rome
Maison Européen de la Photographie, Paris
Margulies Collection at the Warehouse, Miami
MART Contemporary and Modern Art Museum of Trento and Rovereto
The Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal
Museo Palazzo Fortuny, Venice
Museo di Palazzo dei Pio, Carpi
Museum Het Valkhof, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.
Unicredit Bank Collection, MilanTHE ARTIST
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Exhibitions
Exhibitions and Fairs
2024 | The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls | Galerie XII Los Angeles
2023 | Past: Photo Fairs New York | Javits Center - 655 W 34th St, New York, NY 10001
2023 | Senigallia | Pallazzo del Duca
2023 | Paris Gallery Weekend 2023 | Galerie XII Paris
2023 | Le Passe-Muraille | Galerie XII Paris
2022 | Moderne Art Fair 2022 | Place de l'Etoile - 10, Avenue de la Grande Armée, Paris 75017
2021 | Paris Photo 2021 | Grand Palais Ephémère, Place Joffre, 75007 Paris
2020 | Galerie XII Paris - Paris Photo 2020 -Virtual 3D exhibition | Online
2020 | Départ immédiat - Boarding Pass Confirmation | 42 rue de Montmorency - 75003 Paris
2020 | Gathering Blue | Galerie XII Los Angeles
2020 | Art Paris Art Fair | Grand Palais, Paris - Booth D13
2020 | Photo LA 2020, stand H03 | The Barker Hangar, Santa Monica
2020 | An Invented World | Galerie XII Los Angeles
2019 | Paris / Art Elysées Art & Design | Avenue des Champs-Elysées, Pavillon A, stand 126A
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Press
