The exhibition "Refiguration," part of a research project, aims to address, through photography, video, and sound, aspects related to the recording and documentation of works of art in exhibition spaces. It favours a type of photographic recording that, without compromising its documentary function, proposes an approach that explores another perceptive dimension, whether through the presence of shadows created by the modelling of light, or through the effects of the dragged movement of the human element, in an unpredictable event (happening) observed at a glance. In this context, the title "REFIGURATION" is understood, as the images on display highlight visual elements (shadows and dragging) that, in their presentation, exist only in the two-dimensional space of the photograph, not in the physical space where the artistic objects were displayed.
This work arises from, on the one hand, the documentation of Contemporary Art exhibitions, primarily promoted by the College of Arts of the University of Coimbra and developed in recent years, and, on the other hand, academic research on the reception of works of art through photography.
The exhibition, also understood as a research process, is conceived circularly, as if in a loop, a common aspect of its three constituent pieces: a set of twelve photographs, measuring 43.34 x 65 cm; a video featuring interviews with three artists (José Maçãs de Carvalho, Enzo de Leonibus, and Júlia Ventura), who share their reflections on the relevance of particular visual elements in the photographs taken, or discuss the role of light as a material capable of generating realities, symbolic meanings, or different perceptions of spaces, people, and things; and a sound installation. One of the pieces in this exhibition (the speaker) was part of the installation "Fiore Nel Mare" by Italian artist Bruna Esposito, who kindly loaned it for her presentation at the College of Arts of the University of Coimbra, from September 14, 2018, to October 25, 2018.
The exhibition's opening featured presentations by Dr António Olaio, Director of the UC College of Arts, and Dr Luís Umbelino, Professor at the UC Faculty of Arts. This exhibition also received scientific support from the Center for Classical and Humanistic Studies.
Also presented is a collection of texts related to the exhibition's theme, authored by these and other researchers who have significantly contributed to the ongoing development and consolidation of the research process to which this exhibition belongs.