Rodney Smith's surreal photography debuts in Italy at Palazzo Roverella

Palazzo Roverella in Rovigo hosts the first Italian retrospective of Rodney Smith (1947–2016), featuring over 100 works. The New York-born photographer, who studied theology and philosophy and trained under Walker Evans, blends formal rigor with surreal, humorous compositions. His influences include Anselm Adams, Margaret Bourke-White, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and filmmakers Alfred Hitchcock, Terrence Malick, Wes Anderson, as well as silent film stars Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd. The exhibition is organized into thematic sections: the golden ratio, essential spaces, the boundary between human and celestial realms, figures defying gravity, and archetypal landscapes. Curated by Anne Morin, the display uses soft-colored walls with enlarged photographic details. Smith described his work as capturing a world 'slightly out of reach, beyond daily experience, but decidedly not impossible.' The show runs at Palazzo Roverella in Rovigo, Italy.