Paul McAree : Massimo Bartolini

2 April – 27 May 2017
Lismore Castle Arts, Lismore, Co. Waterford

Lismore Castle Arts presents the first solo exhibition in Ireland of Massimo Bartolini.

Responding to the unique gallery space that is St Carthage Hall, the artist has created a new organ piece specially for the building. The piece takes the form of a ‘well’ with a music box inside – the box plays the first 10 bars of the John Cage work In a Landscape. Related to other organ works by the artist, it functions like a barrel organ which plays automatically. The air blown through the metal pipes first passes through the holes in the music roll, giving rise to variations in tone and length. The air passing through the mechanics also lends the work a strangely human quality, further referencing spiritual connections. The juxtaposition of a minimal, brutalist structure with such an intimate, fragile sound is central to Massimo’s practice.

Massimo Bartolini’s work embraces various materials and techniques, from sculpture and performance to photography. His works have included an elevated floor that created the impression of distorted space; an installation in which a device on the heel of a visitor’s shoes altered the light in the exhibition space; and rooms suffused with perfume and the sound of leaking water. These, often sensual, artworks induce in the viewer a meditative state that is still highly experiential, making us reflect on the relativity of what is stable and unchangeable.

This exhibition is kindly supported by The Arts Council Ireland, Frith Street Gallery, London and The Shifting Foundation.

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