Marco Anelli: Building Magazzino 2014–2024
A film I created for Marco Anelli: Building Magazzino 2014–2024 is presented alongside approximately 50 large-scale photographs by Marco Anelli. Curated by Paola Mura, the exhibition traces the architectural evolution of Magazzino Italian Art and the people involved in its creation.
The exhibition brings together a decade’s worth of photographs by Italian-born, New York-based photographer Marco Anelli, offering a visual narrative of Magazzino Italian Art from its inception to the present.
Recognizing the dozens of construction workers and craftspeople who built the institution, the project also reflects on the people behind its creation.
Marco Anelli has been the visual chronicler of Magazzino Italian Art since its inception, capturing the visionary spirit of its founders, Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu. With a keen eye for detail, he has rendered this project through an engaging visual language. Renowned for his work in architectural photography and restoration sites, Anelli also excels in capturing authentic emotions in portraits. Dedicated to long-term projects, Anelli brings depth and complexity to Magazzino's documentation. Through a selection of large format images, we witness the metamorphosis of an old industrial building into a museum, documented from 2014 to 2017. The journey ends with the juxtaposition of the old and new structures, harmoniously balanced in a relationship of volumes.
The spaces come to life with the installation of artworks, with concrete, glass, and windows depicted as artistic elements. Anelli's photographs then document the construction of theRobert Olnick Pavilion, inaugurated in 2023 for temporary exhibitions, presented in a film by Tommaso Sacconi. In this visual narrative, the photographs come alive, creating a rhythm that immerses the viewer in the creative process.
The protagonists of this undertaking emerge in their daily roles: architects Alberto Campo Baeza and Miguel Quismondo, construction workers, and Nancy and Giorgio. The natural light dances, creating new spaces and shapes on the gallery walls. Building Magazzino 2014-2024 showcases Anellis excellence in architectural photography. His images convey the sense of becoming, process precariousness, and waiting that define the construction site.
Simultaneously, there is a human investigation of faces and poses, capturing not only the attitude and role of the actors in this construction work but also their thoughts, pride, anticipation, effort, and dedication. Anelli's goal was not just to document the museum's construction but also to witness the humanity, emotions, and experiences that made this project a reality, transforming it into an autonomous work of art. The photographs narrate the history of Magazzino Italian Art, its mission, and the indispensable role of the people involved, extending the project's meaning from architectural elements to the human component, reflecting Anelli's exploration of architecture, environment and humanity.
Curated by Paola Mura