Alessandro Merlo's 'Stage Presence' Exhibition Explores Play and Performance at Mare Karina Gallery

The Mare Karina gallery in Venice is presenting 'Stage Presence,' a solo exhibition by Italian artist Alessandro Merlo, born in Pietra Ligure in 1995. The show opened on February 14, 2026, and will run through April 11, 2026. Curated by Milovan Farronato, the exhibition features photographic works and installations that examine themes of play, theatricality, and identity, drawing inspiration from club culture, fashion, drag performance, and Venice's Carnival traditions. Central to the exhibition is a large photographic snakes-and-ladders-style game titled 'Conciati per le feste,' which presents bodies and masks as game pieces on a board with no defined end. Eight photographs expand on this concept, including 'A che gioco stai giocando' (2023), which uses an overhead perspective to transform a scene into a game board, and 'Drama Club' (2018), featuring staged poses in artificial settings. Another work, 'Siamo coriandoli' (2021), references both carnival confetti and the artist's collective/magazine, exploring fragmented identity and coexistence. The exhibition extends beyond the gallery walls into the external display window, creating a three-dimensional environment where props and scenic elements reappear, notably connected to the photograph 'Trova le differenze' (2023). The artist's approach treats masks not as concealment but as conscious exposure, with photography capturing suspended moments rather than fixed events. The presentation coincides with Venice's Carnival season, engaging with the city's atmosphere of performance and disguise. All exhibition photography is credited to Tiziano Ercoli.