Hoepfner and Rovaldi Reunite in Venice with Walking-Based Works

The Galleria Michela Rizzo in Venice presents 'Dear Michael, from Edgecombe to Qumalai,' a two-person exhibition featuring Michael Hoepfner (b. 1972, Krems/Donau) and Antonio Rovaldi (b. 1975, Parma), curated by Davide Ferri. The show marks the second collaboration between the artists, following their 2010 project 'Shorakkopoch,' in which they walked hand-in-hand along Broadway in New York, one blindfolded and the other acoustically isolated. For this exhibition, they work separately but remain connected through the act of walking. Rovaldi continues to explore urban environments, documenting Manhattan's perimeter in black-and-white photographs and the small evocative village of Modena in the western United States. His project 'Mo'dinna Mo'dinna (I wanna go back home)' collects photographs from both the American Modena and its Italian namesake. Hoepfner presents the results of his walks in Tibet and China, using photography, maps used during his journeys, and found objects such as thin paper sheets Chinese children use to practice complex ideograms and a snow leopard skin, which for the artist symbolizes traversing a pristine natural landscape. The exhibition represents a resumption of a dialogue between the two artists and the confirmation of new shared interests. The show runs until November 19, 2016.