Perception as a Thread: Macchi, Gupta, Sugimoto at Galleria Continua

Galleria Continua in San Gimignano presents three concurrent solo exhibitions by Jorge Macchi, Shilpa Gupta, and Hiroshi Sugimoto, each exploring perception, intersubjectivity, and the relationship between representation and reality. Macchi's 'Suspension Points' features sculptures, paintings, and installations that emphasize experiential value and the theatricality of absence, including 'La noche de los museos,' a large carpet with fallen spotlights still illuminating parts of the floor. Gupta reworks her photographic series 'Do not See Do not Hear Do not Speak' (2006) into sculpture, critiquing freedom of expression through three female figures covering each other's eyes, ears, and mouths. Her work 'A Thought in a Thought' (2017) examines how individuals perceive others and society. Sugimoto presents new developments in his theater series, initiated in 1978, now including audience areas for the first time. His photographs capture the modulation of grays and light flooding dark halls. During travels in Italy, Sugimoto learned about the Tenshō Embassy (1582–1590), the first Japanese diplomatic mission to Europe, consisting of four young Christian nobles sent by Jesuit Valignano to dispel stereotypes. Sugimoto revisits their journey, and at Galleria Continua, views of Pisa, Rome, Florence, Assisi, and Venice are on display.