Luca Spano's Sardinia Photographs at Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Paris

Luca Spano (Cagliari, 1982) presents 'Terra incognita' at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Paris until January 3, 2020. The exhibition features 25 black-and-white square-format photographs taken between 2011 and 2018, documenting Sardinia from coast to interior. A central installation includes four traditional Sardinian chairs ('scannetti') from Spano's childhood home, arranged according to cardinal directions, each holding a stone: obsidian, granite, trachyte, and sandstone. These stones represent historical, economic, and cultural significance for Sardinia. The exhibition is accompanied by Alessandro Contini's electronic composition 'Sabbia', which Spano listened to during the project's creation. Spano describes his work as a continuous investigation into the nature of images, using photography as a tool to filter reality. The title 'Terra incognita' reflects his quest to understand what an image is, with the island serving as a metaphor for the unknown. Spano has exhibited at Macro Rome, Triennale Milano, and Caelum Gallery New York, and has received the MEAD Fellowship, John Hertell Prize, and Graziadei Prize. He currently lives and works in New York.