From 27 November 2023 to 26 January 2024, the Other Size Gallery at the Workness space in Milan will host the extraordinary photographic exhibition Beneath the Pilgrim Moon by British photographer Simon Roberts.
Curated by Claudio Composti, in collaboration with MC2 Gallery, the exhibition offers an unprecedented perspective on the sculptures of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London during the second wave of COVID-19. The images capture the essence of the pandemic through a poetic and metaphorical lens.
The artist
Simon Roberts is a visual artist based in Brighton, UK, known for his large format photographs of British landscapes. In addition to photography, his artistic practice also encompasses videos, texts and installations that explore notions of identity and belonging, as well as the complex relationship between history, place and culture.
An intimate job
In this exhibition, Roberts abandons his usual style of landscape photography to focus on more intimate work. The 12 shots on display portray the marble sculptures of the Victoria and Albert Museum, illuminated only by night light, protected by plastic sheets during the renovation works and closed to the public due to the pandemic.
The metaphor of fragility
Roberts manages to capture and convey a clear contrast in these images. On the one hand, the sculptures represent solidity and durability through the ages. On the other hand, the plastic that covers them gives them a fragility, a temporariness that underlines human vulnerability in the face of the uncertainty of the pandemic.
A disorienting prospect
The unusual angles and compositions of Roberts’ images give the sculptures a new dimension. Cut, isolated or partially hidden bodies create a feeling of discomfort and vulnerability. Roberts decides to focus on seemingly secondary details, such as the suffering face of a statue or the crying victim instead of the main hero.
Photographing “Samson and the Philistines,” Roberts cuts the main hero out of the scene and instead focuses on the crying victim; or he decides to focus only on the suffering face of the protagonist behind the plastic in Claude David’s “Vulcan (or probably Prometheus) chained to a rock”; or again, in the photograph of “Theseus and the Minotaur” by Canova, taken from the side and captured from afar, it reveals an almost thoughtful and solitary silhouette.
Between plastic and Neoclassicism
The ancient mythology represented in the sculptures clashes with the sterility of plastic, creating a fascinating and alienating contrast. Plastic, a symbol of contemporaneity and human fragility, overlaps with timeless works of art, highlighting their condition of isolation.
Reflections and drama
In Simon Roberts’ work, statues come to life through reflections that slide across the plastic, emphasizing the drama of positions and expressions. This play of light and shadow adds depth and intensity to the images.
