It is with great excitement that I share a landmark event in our artistic journey. On Thursday, January 23rd, the Portuguese Cinematheque – Museum of Cinema will screen two films by the extraordinary filmmaker Gianmarco Donaggio, inspired by my blue, black, and platinum paintings.
(This young Italian director has worked on Oscar-nominated films, globally acclaimed TV series, and was selected as a Berlinale Talent for 2024.)
The programme, to be held in the Luís de Pina Hall, includes:
6:30 PM: Launch of the book "Alba Nera", handcrafted in Italy (limited to 50 copies), in collaboration with Bookstore Linha de Sombra. This poetry book by Gianmarco Donaggio delves into the visual and poetic dimensions of the eponymous film. Its design, inspired by my "Black Velvet" series of paintings, features black ink printed on black paper.
7:30 PM: Screening of the films "Azul no Azul" (2022) and "Alba Nera" (2024), followed by a Q&A session with the audience.
Azul no Azul (Blue in Blue): A Tribute to Academic Sculptures of MNAC
Experimental Film / Single Screen / 4K / 16:9 / Colour / 00:07:08 / 2022
The film "Azul no Azul", which received an extraordinary IMDb rating of 9.4, was inspired by my blue paintings created for MNAC – Portugal's National Museum of Contemporary Art, in Lisbon. These artworks, part of my exhibition "Painting Rarefied the Spirit", were produced during my artistic residency at the museum and displayed in the Sculpture Garden in 2022.
During this "unprecedented residency in the history of the MNAC", I paid homage to academic artists and their profound knowledge of drawing and painting, capturing the unique atmosphere of the Sculpture Garden at twilight, where light and shadow create haunting, evocative landscapes.
Since its premiere, the film has travelled worldwide, being screened not only at MNAC (Lisbon) but also at the National Museum Soares dos Reis (Porto), Lucca (Italy), Kathmandu (Nepal), and Dhaka (Bangladesh), solidifying its universal appeal as a "classic of contemporary cinema".
Alba Nera: A Cinematic Journey into the Darkness of Light
Experimental Film / Single Screen / 4K / 16:9 / Black and White / 00:14:41 / 2024
The film "Alba Nera" ("Dark Dawn" in Italian) was partially shot at the iconic Batalha Monastery (the first monument in Portugal to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site), whose Gothic architecture provided a stunning backdrop.
This film draws upon two series of paintings:
The "Black Velvet" Series, inspired by O Desterrado: Created for the National Museum Soares dos Reis, this series is an emotional and contemporary interpretation of Soares dos Reis’s iconic sculpture The Exiled. Using exclusively black pigments without any colour mixtures, I achieved various tones of black (e.g., carbon black, black earth, etc.). These paintings critique the marketing claims of an overpriced paint brand that touts its product as "the blackest black," which is untrue. I used this paint to depict light, as it was the lightest of all the black paints I employed.
PlatiGleam Series: Conceived for the Batalha Monastery, these paintings react to light from mobile devices, creating a unique interaction between artwork and viewer. Seen by over 300,000 visitors worldwide, these works explore the interplay of shadow and light, the dialogue between past and present, and the impact of technology on the perception of art – themes that Gianmarco Donaggio masterfully translated into cinema.
Following the screening, we will engage in a Q&A session to discuss the creative processes behind these works and answer audience questions.
I warmly invite you to join us for this special event and share in this moment of artistic celebration.
Location: Portuguese Cinematheque, Luís de Pina Hall Date: Thursday, January 23rd Schedule:
6:30 PM – Book launch: "Alba Nera"
7:30 PM – Screening of "Azul no Azul" and "Alba Nera", followed by a Q&A session
I look forward to seeing you there as we celebrate art and cinema together!
コメント