The Palazzo della Penna - Centro di Cultura Contemporanea in Perugia hosts Alessandro Papetti's exhibition titled La pelle attraverso, organized by the City of Perugia in collaboration with the Umbria region.
Curated by Luca Beatrice, the exhibition presents around forty works - on paper and canvas - depicting human bodies rendered in warm and earthy tones as well as the lunar shades of a midnight swim.
The focus is not so much on the body itself, but rather on our perception of our own physicality in relation to the external world-a perception that is constantly shifting, shaped by the ongoing interplay between the senses and the mind. The skin- that supremely sensitive and receptive medium, the ultimate boundary- becomes both a point of separation and a bridge between these two realities.
Papetti shows in Perugia "old" bodies, regardless of their actual age. What distinguishes these nudes-unlike earlier works where tension plays a greater role in the experience of the face than the body-is the subject's apparent passivity; yet, this need for silence and stillness reveals a new self-awareness and a more assertive inner strength.
Here, the emphasis is put on allowing oneself to be permeated and traversed, rather than on resistance or interaction with the external realm. Consequently, in these new paintings, the bodies and their surroundings often appear more ethereal and transparent.
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue featuring a critical essay by Luca Beatrice, as well as photographs and a video by Francesco Papetti.
