Studio Guenzani presents “Photography ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘00s”, a selection of works by the gallery’s artists who used photography as the medium of artistic expression, renovating its language. The exhibited photographs narrate the period which starts from the eighties, the nineties, up to two-thousands, through the artworks by: Nobuyoshi Araki, Gabriele Basilico, Luisa Lambri, Louise Lawler, Robert Mapplethorpe, Catherine Opie, Cindy Sherman, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Matteo Rubbi and James Welling.

Nobuyoshi Araki, born in Tokyo in 1940, is a contemporary Japanese photographer. His photos illustrate different aspects of the life in Tokyo: intimate scenes, streets, nude women pervaded by eroticism and melancholy.

Gabriele Basilico (Milan, 1944 – 2013) chose the city as his main field of research for his photographic exploration. He photographed empty places, documenting known and unknown locations and urban architectures, with emblematic technique and methodological rigor.

Luisa Lambri was born in Como in 1969. Her art is characterised by the engagement with a broad spectrum of subjects, revolving around the human condition and its relationship with space and light. Aspects of geometric abstraction, minimalism, as well as feminism play an equally important role in her compositions.

Louise Lawler, born in Bronxville (New York) in 1947, investigates the role of art, taking pictures of artworks.

The artist points out the ways in which works of art are chosen and displayed in the places designated to art fruition, highlighting the influence of context on spectators’ perception.

Robert Mapplethorpe (1946 – 1989) was an American artist who realised the majority of his black and white photographs in his studio. He documented the New York S & M scene through high impact images, which demonstrate his technical and formal mastery.

The photographs taken by Catherine Opie, born in Sandusky, Ohio, in 1961, echo the great masters of portrait and landscape. Formal, conceptual and documentary aspects are all essential in her works, through which she narrates and analyses people and places with a fascinating minimalistic vision and technical perfection.

Cindy Sherman, born in Glen Ridge in 1954, makes use only of her camera, her own image and a complex apparatus of scene objects, costumes, make-up, masks, artificial implants, in order to create imaginary scenarios in which she performs different roles.

An essential aspect of Hiroshi Sugimoto’s art is the work in series. Through comparison this allows to understand the deep meaning of his photographs, bringing the spectator to an innocent status of marvel and contemplation. Hiroshi Sugimoto was born in Tokyo in 1948.

Matteo Rubbi was born in Bergamo in 1980. His art leads to considerations about public’s role and its context, redefining the relationship between the observer and the work of art. His new artworks a photography created during a workshop at the “Istituto Calasanzio”, in Empoli. Thinking about the sky above the city, stars and constellations have been reshaped walking through Empoli and playing with rayograph in the science laboratory of the school.

James Welling was born in Hartford in 1952. The ambiguity of his images challenges the classic modes of perception and learning resulting from the observation of a picture. His art makes people meditate on dilemmas, which are beyond the reproduction of reality.