Lorenzo Vitturi: Jugalbandi
The solo exhibition is the result of the artist's collaboration with Indian artisans
Artist Lorenzo Vitturi presents a new project at the art space T293 in Rome. Vitturi’s practice revolves around photography and research about handmade tapestries, made with traditional looms by Indian artisans. On the occasion of the project presented in Rome, the artist explores in-depth for the first time the concept of collaborative practice in the creation of an artwork.
The project arises from Vitturi’s fascination for the casual assemblage of objects by members of rural communities, while travelling in the Indian region of Rajasthan to meet local weavers. Vitturi first photographed these objects; then, local artisans reduced them to graphic elements as inspirations for impressive tapestries.
It is the first time that Vitturi delegates a phase of the creation to an external person: the resulting pieces carry both the artist and the artisan’s visions, each one expressing their individuality. Towards the end of the process, the artist intervenes on the rugs by adding fragments of glass and wood, originated from his hometown, Venice. In this case, due to the lockdown, this passage couldn’t happen alongside the weavers but unravelled through an intense digital dialogue between the artist and the local craftsmen.
The title of the exhibition “Jugalbandi” in Indian means “entwined twins”, referencing a musical performance by two people neither sole soloist nor solely accompanying and alludes to the origin of the project, fruit of the team-work between Lorenzo Vitturi and the Indian craftsmen.
