Detail of Encampment Francesco
The first major exhibition in Australia of work by acclaimed Italian contemporary artist Francesco Clemente
Interior and exterior detail o
Carriageworks, working with MASS MOCA, presents Encampment by acclaimed Italian contemporary artist Francesco Clemente, as second in the annual Schwartz Carriageworks series of major international visual arts projects.
For this exhibition, Clemente has collaborated with a community of artisans in Rajasthan, India, over three years from 2012-2014 to create a series of tents featuring intricate patterns, emblematic imagery and vividly painted human figures, both real and allegorical. The project features jewel-toned spaces populated by Byzantine angels, entwined figures, and brilliantly-hued self-portraits. Depictions of physical love, bodily pleasure, spiritual reincarnation and arcane symbols abound in these temporary dwelling, which function more like social spaces or places for introspection within an institutional context. Viewers will be invited to walk around, amongst and inside the tents to explore the works from different perspectives.