Exhibition
The Museo Diocesano Carlo Maria Martini and the Consulta diocesana Comunità cristiana e disabilità present the exhibition Divine Creature, a photographic project conceived and curated by Adamo Antonacci, which addresses the theme of disability using the language of art. It consists of ten shots taken by Leonardo Baldini, reworking masterpieces from the history of art between the 15th and 20th centuries relating to episodes from the life of Christ – from the Annunciation to the Nativity, from the stories of the Passion to the Supper at Emmaus – in which the figures are played by people with disabilities and their family members, who become the true protagonists of the works.
The curator selected ten masterpieces from the history of art between the 15th and 20th centuries relating to episodes from the life of Christ, from the Annunciation to the Nativity, from the stories of the Passion to the Supper at Emmaus. Working from these paintings, full-scale photographic sets were built with careful scenery and skilful direction: a complex and sophisticated undertaking made possible by involving industry professionals such as set designers, make-up artists, lighting technicians and costume designers.
Only the people photographed are not professionals, and this was the boldest choice – both the instrument and the aim of a much deeper reflection. The “actors” involved in bringing back to life the figures painted by the great masters of the past are in fact young men and women with disabilities and some of their family members, who allowed themselves to be drawn into a dialogue with artistic expression and with the themes it embodies, intensifying its meaning.
These are neither true, photographed tableaux vivants nor mere attempts at imitating or reproducing the original works: the shots were in fact followed by hours of meticulous post-production, which nonetheless never altered the faces and expressions of the “actors”, who were asked to interpret and personally live the scene, not merely to pose. This made them true protagonists of the work of art and not a passive instrument for arriving at its photographic reproduction.
Behind this project there is not only technical skill and professionalism, but also humanity, poetry and a desire to make beauty one’s own and to have a meaningful experience. The video in the exhibition and the backstage photographs help to evoke all of this.
