Per Barclay's Meditative Installation at Otto Gallery Bologna
Per Barclay (born Oslo, 1955) presents a sober yet caustic installation at Otto Gallery in Bologna, conceived as a meditation on wounded life with refined references to Theodor Adorno's Minima Moralia. The artist dwells on the horrifying beauty of war, suggested by a cannon immortalized as a monument. By inverting Cimabue's Crucifix, Barclay immerses viewers in the subversion of values, customs, and habits shaking Europe, stemming from macro socio-political changes. Black, in tune with Rick Moody's Black Veil, dominates the exhibition, which exudes not rage or pessimism but a cynical curiosity for unfolding events, almost in an Anglo-Saxon manner. No white flag is raised; instead, a moment of silence observes the setting sun—perhaps on the day, perhaps on civilization.
Key facts
- Per Barclay was born in Oslo in 1955.
- The exhibition is held at Otto Gallery in Bologna.
- The installation references Theodor Adorno's Minima Moralia.
- A cannon is depicted as a monument to suggest war's beauty.
- Barclay inverts Cimabue's Crucifix to symbolize value subversion.
- The color black dominates, referencing Rick Moody's Black Veil.
- The show expresses cynical curiosity rather than pessimism.
- The work invites a moment of silence observing the setting sun.
Entities
Artists
- Per Barclay
- Cimabue
Institutions
- Otto Gallery
- Artribune
Locations
- Bologna
- Italy
- Oslo
- Norway