Yuri Catania in mostra al Museo Erarta di San Pietroburgo

“Giardino Illuminato dalla Luna” è la mostra personale di Yuri Catania che inaugura al Museo Erarta, il più grande Museo privato di Russia a San Pietroburgo, il prossimo 26 gennaio fino al 28 maggio 2023. In esposizione cinquanta opere fotografiche di grandissimo formato allestite nella sala principale del Museo per oltre 300 mq di superficie dedicata ai fiori notturni di Yuri Catania. Curatrice della mostra è Olga Daniele di 365 Art.

“Moonlight Garden” by Yuri Catania takes the view on a walk through a secret garden. An intimate photography project capturing the aesthetic perfection of hundreds of colourful flowers lovingly cultivated by the artist’s wife. A metaphysical garden, remote from reality and particularly enchanting by night.

Cosa rende la notte così attraente? Perché ci sono così tanti poemi che la celebrano?

The night offers a short respite, a chance to call it a day, to zero out, to remind oneself that tomorrow is another day when all dreams will finally come true. The night softly erases everything that was before, allowing one to forget today’s failures and unfulfilled promises. Oh magic night!

The night is a tiny death for today’s imperfection, a short break before its victorious rebirth on the next day. Tomorrow I will be a different person, tomorrow I will accomplish what is long overdue. The night obscures obstacles and renews our faith in ourselves. Oh blessed night!

The night makes us more daring by placing out of sight all those who, willingly or not, constantly witness our everyday life; nightfall eliminates the need for self-control, and the newly mustered strength that we used to waste on suppressing our own desires can be invested in restoring the balance that had been upset during the day. By morning we will once again be one with the world’s harmony. Oh healing night!

The night is like a fairy tale, and sweet are the dreams under its veil! Like an empty canvas in the hands of an artist, it will embrace any visions that we dare to draw in our mind. Oh profound night!

Make a wish and take a walk through the night garden created by the Italian-born artist Yuri Catania. His garden is far from being realistic: the flowers are fresh and colourful, whereas in real life most of them would close up at nightfall to protect themselves from the cold and humidity and preserve their aroma until the next morning when the insects return to pollinate them. Of course there are some real flowers that bloom by night, but those are few and far between and, unlike Yuri Catania’s flowers, rather discreet, and so one can be sure that, rather than picturing flower still lifes, the artist is imaging a metaphysical garden wherein the backdrop of night is no less important than the blossoms.

The photographer dedicated this series to his wife Silvia. The tradition of presenting women with bunches of fresh flowers is a relatively recent one. In the ancient times, flowers were offered to gods only, although a legend maintains that the first bouquet was given by Adam to Eve when, following the Expulsion, they roamed the dismal earth and Eve yearned for the Garden of Paradise.

Di notte, i giardini fioriti non sono solo romantici: essi simboleggiano la rinascita e una promessa, rappresentano le speranze e i sogni. Tutto questo ci porta ai ai versi della poesia di Rabindranath Tagore sul destino:

È finita la notte

Spegni la lampada fumante

nell’angolo della stanza.

Sul cielo d’oriente

è fiorita la luce dell’universo:

è un giorno lieto.

Sono destinati a conoscersi

tutti coloro che cammineranno

per strade simili.

Il Museo Erarta storia:

Erarta is Russia's largest private museum of contemporary art, a must-see place for gaining insight into modern Russia.

Its permanent collection featuring over 2,800 works by Russian artists, along with more than 40 exciting temporary exhibitions staged by the museum every year, have firmly established it on the list of things to do in St. Petersburg. Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art was repeatedly mentioned as a top choice tourist attraction by Lonely Planet guidebooks; ranks among the top 10 museums in Russia on TripAdvisor; was spotlighted as one of the ‘5 Cultural Gems’ among places to visit in St. Petersburg by National Geographic, and became the country’s first contemporary art museum to be featured on Google Arts and Culture Project.

Guarda il video di presentazione del Museo Erarta: https://youtu.be/DgSnzlU0A8o