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| A photo exhibition of Gabriele Basilico, Italian master of urban landscape photography, is running until Dec. 2 at the Korea Foundation (KF) gallery in Seoul. / Courtesy of KF |
Opening on Oct. 20 at the KF Gallery in Seoul, the exhibition showcases 55 black-and-white photographs of Rome, Milan, Venice, Trieste, Florence and other Italian cities taken between 1978 and 2010. This is the first solo exhibition of Basilico's work.
The exhibition will run until Dec. 2. Visit kf.or.kr or call 02-2151-6500 to make a reservation.
The self-described "measurer of space," Basilico won international recognition for taking photos showing the essence of ancient and modern architecture.
Many of the 55 photographs are from his 1978-80 collection, "Milan, Portraits of Factories," that inspired the conceptual and stylistic revolution of space he constantly pursued.
"By perceiving cities around the world as living organisms, like pulsating bodies that constantly shed and renew their skin, Basilico captured them from his own particular vantage point," the KF said.
It said the architectural splendor of cites and beauty of landscapes "is sure to leave a deep impression on visitors" while helping them better understand Italy as if they were traveling there.
"They also give evidence of the country's socio-economic transition from the industrial to the post-industrial era," the KF added.
One of the books about Basilico, "Phaidon," says his photographs of cityscapes, residential buildings and factories seem to deny the presence of the artist and ask viewers to form their own conclusions about relationships among structures and between structures and landscape.
"Stripping bare the urban context of any human activity, his work transcends mere instances and seeks to reveal the very essence of place and of our relationship with it," the book says.
Born in Milan, Basilico trained as an architect and graduated from Milan Polytechnic in 1973.
His work documented the coastline of France, the ruins of Beirut following the civil war of the 1980s, portraits of Shanghai, Istanbul, Moscow and Rio de Janeiro, and images of former industrial powerhouses now decayed and abandoned.
Italy inspired his portfolio throughout his life. His first major exhibition, held in Milan, presented factory portraits taken between 1978 and 1980.
He later undertook a project documenting modernist architecture in Milan, with a goal of leaving an impression in the photographs that time had been suspended.
Basilico often worked with government bodies to catalogue the appearance of the urban landscape for posterity.
He died of cancer at 68.
