Trieste Exhibition Explores Female Self-Portraiture and Stereotypes

The exhibition 'Io, lei, l’altra. Ritratti e autoritratti fotografici di donne artiste' at Trieste examines female representation through photography over a century. Curated by Guido Comis and Simona Cossu, the show is part of a broader ERPAC project including 'Riflessi' at Palazzo Attems Petzenstein in Gorizia and 'Artista + artista' at Galleria Spazzapan. It features eleven sections with works by Louise Bourgeois (photographed by Robert Mapplethorpe), Vera Lehndorff (Veruschka) by Franco Rubartelli, Wanda Wulz, Leonor Fini, Marina Abramović, Cindy Sherman, Yael Bartana, Gillian Wearing, Jo Spence, Valie Export, Nicole Gravier, Francesca Woodman, and Kiki Smith. Notable loans come from collector Ettore Molinario, including photographs of the Countess of Castiglione by Pierre-Louis Pierson. The exhibition also includes non-visual artists like Madonna, Annie Lennox, Oriana Fallaci, and Isabella Santacroce. Critic Vanja Strukelj, an ERPAC scientific committee member, notes the project spans from the 16th century to today, aiming to provoke historical reflection on the artist's myth. The initiative hopes to expand to Museo Revoltella.