HYPERVENEZIA: 400 Photos by Mario Peliti at Palazzo Grassi

Palazzo Grassi in Venice reopens after six months of restoration with the exhibition "HYPERVENEZIA," featuring around 400 black-and-white photographs by Mario Peliti. Selected from an archive of over 12,000 images started in 2006, the photos depict Venice without inhabitants, focusing on stones, facades, roofs, shutters, and bridges. The images are mounted directly on walls with pins, without frames or glass, arranged in a continuous horizontal line. The exhibition aims to counter stereotypical postcard views, presenting a dystopian emptiness that resonates with the pandemic experience. Peliti, an architect, publisher, and gallerist, co-founded the Galleria del Cembalo in Rome with Paola Stacchini Cavazza. The show is described as a "measure for Venetians," evoking memory without nostalgia or superficial belonging. Each photo is labeled with the initials of its sestiere and a progressive number. The exhibition reintegrates residents' existence into the city's image, filling post-pandemic calls for proximity with meaning.