Three Exhibitions at Galleria Continua Explore the Power of Place

Galleria Continua in San Gimignano presents three simultaneous solo exhibitions by Hans Op De Beeck, Ilya & Emilia Kabakov, and Carlos Garaicoa, running until September 4, 2016. Despite their diverse backgrounds—Op De Beeck (born 1969 in Turnhout), the Kabakovs (born 1933 and 1945 in Dnepropetrovsk), and Garaicoa (born 1967 in Havana)—the shows are connected by a shared focus on 'place' as an unprecedented space for reflection. Op De Beeck's sculptures freeze everyday moments in an indefinite time, with works like 'Aline,' 'Vanitas Variation,' and 'Pond' prompting meditative contemplation on existence's fragility. Garaicoa's three new series—'Testigos,' 'Las Raíces del Mundo'—explore poetic architecture, the city, and the clash of opposites, using graphite frottage, wooden models, and crystal-fiber termite-infested beams transformed into micro-architectures. The Kabakovs render memories and possibilities tangible through soft-lit installations like 'I Want to Go Back!' and 'I'll Return on April 12…,' creating non-places that unite earth and sky in utopian happiness. The exhibitions create new loci where art enables necessary change.