Carlo Scarpa's Tomba Brion: Photographs by Guido Guidi, 1997-2007
The CCA revisits architect Carlo Scarpa’s masterpiece as part of an
exhibition on photographer Guido Guidi.
Montréal – The Canadian Centre for Architecture has chosen to
revisit an architectural masterpiece with an exhibition entitled Carlo Scarpa's Tomba Brion:
Photographs by Guido Guidi, 1997-2007, dedicated to the Italian photographer Guido
Guidi. The exhibition takes place from 11 September 2009 to 10 January 2010 in the
CCA’s Octagonal Gallery.
Carlo Scarpa's Tomba Brion captures notions of time, space, and light in the Brion family
mausoleum in Italy, considered to be Carlo Scarpa’s masterpiece. A long-time admirer of
Scarpa’s work and thought, Guidi’s interest in the Brion family tomb is reflected in this
decade-spanning visual essay.
The artist’s 54 colour photographs reveal the beauty of the funerary complex, its clean
Architectural lines, and the poetic nature of Scarpa’s work. With passion, meticulousness,
and a focus on minute details, Guidi imbues every frame with the richness of colour,
ornamentation, and purity of his subject. The artist invites contemplation of a piece of
architecture whose majesty reveals itself differently depending on the time of day, the
season, and the observer’s viewpoint.
By concentrating on particular architectural features of this major work, the artist invites the
Viewer to look beyond the whole. "In essence, I considered Scarpa’s architecture not only
as a manufactured object, but also as a machine through which to look at time. Or rather,
architecture in its “becoming,” as shadows on a wall that recall volumetric projections
drawn in countless mutations on a sheet of paper," explains Guidi.
This conceptual approach is illustrated by a wall text, written by the photographer and
subtly enhanced by the graphic design company FEED, located at the entrance to the
Octagonal Gallery. The art of Guido Guidi and the prolific work of Carlo Scarpa have
been the subject of numerous publications, many of which will be made available for
consultation in the area adjacent to the exhibition space.
BIOGRAPHY
Born in Cesena, Italy, in 1941, the photographer Guido Guidi began his career in the late
1960s. After studies at the Venice University Institute of Architecture (Istituto Universitario di
Architettura di Venezia; now Università IUAV di Venezia), he returned to IUAV in 1970 as
a photographer.
Over the course of his practice, Guidi has developed a cohesive body of work in which he
examines the contemporary landscape and its transformations. His investigations into
marginal places break with the tradition of depicting classical Italy and its monuments. He
has worked on several photographic commissions focused on landscape and his work has
been shown in many solo and group exhibitions, including Viaggio in Italia (1984);
L’Insistenza dello sguardo, l’Invention d’un art (Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, 1989);
Muri di Carta (1993); The Italian Metamorphosis, 1943–1968 (Guggenheim Museum,
New York, 1994); L’io e il suo doppio (Venice Biennale, 1995); In Between Cities (2003);
Metamorph Trajectories (Venice Biennale, 2004); Trans Emilia (Fotomuseum Winterthur,
2005); and, most recently, Dieci fotografi d’oro (2009).
Guidi contributed to the exhibition Venezia Marghera: Photography and Transformations
in the Contemporary City, organized in 1997 in collaboration with the Canadian Centre
for Architecture. He has received significant photographic commissions from the CCA,
among them Mies in America (2001) and Carlo Scarpa, Architect (1999).
In 1995, he was awarded the Italian Photographic Book of the Year Prize for Varianti
(Udine: Arti Grafiche Friulane), a monograph on his mid-career work that garnered critical
praise for the excellence of its text and images.
He has taught and given workshops on photography at various Italian universities and
institutions since 1986.
GALLERY TALK
The exhibition is curated by Louise Désy, CCA Curator of Photography, who presents a
Gallery Talk on Thursday, 15 October at 7 pm (in French).
ABOUT THE CCA
The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) is an international research centre and
museum founded in 1979 on the conviction that architecture is a public concern. Based on
its extensive collections, the CCA is a leading voice in advancing knowledge, promoting
public understanding, and widening thought and debate on the art of architecture and its
history, theory, practice and role in society today. The CCA celebrates the 20th
anniversary of its public opening throughout 2009 with an ambitious series of programs
and initiatives that underscore the achievements of the CCA.
The CCA thanks Hydro-Québec, RBC Financial Group, Loto-Québec
and BMO Financial Group for their support.
The CCA also acknowledges the Ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la
Condition féminine, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts de Montréal,
and the Department of Canadian Heritage.
INFO
Centre Canadien d’Architecture
Canadian Centre for Architecture
1920, rue Baile
Montréal, Québec
Canada H3H 2S6
t 514 939 7000
f 514 939 7020
www.cca.qc.ca
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