Mimmo Jodice: Mediterraneo
MAXXI, Rome
Curated by Simona Antonacci
In collaboration with Studio Mimmo Jodice
November 10, 2023 - April 14, 2024
Capri, 1984
© Mimmo Jodice
Atleta della Villa dei Papiri, 1986
© Mimmo Jodice
Mediterraneo is one of the most renowned projects by Mimmo Jodice (Naples, 1934), a Neapolitan artist among the major interpreters of contemporary photography. The Archives Center of MAXXI Architecture showcases a collection of vintage photographs from this series, part of the MAXXI Architecture Photography Collection.
Archival documents, contact sheets, interviews, study materials, and bibliographical resources are also displayed to delve into the genesis of the project. Mimmo Jodice developed the project during the '80s and '90s after the experiments of the '60s and '70s, nurturing a growing interest in ancient themes, memory, origins, while refining his poetics centred around the concept of "losing oneself while looking," that is, pursuing visions that exist beyond reality.
This translates into various projects dedicated to Mediterranean culture and archaeology, starting with an initial exploration of areas closest to him (Paestum, Neapolis, Pompeii, Cuma, Baia) and then expanding to the Mare Nostrum—from Greece to Tunisia, from Jordan to Libya—reaching museums worldwide. The "encounter" with the Athletes in the Villa of the Papyri at the Archaeological Museum of Naples around 1985, testified in the exhibition by a video of that time, represents a turning point in this research. The systematic pursuit continued in the 1990s and found international recognition with a major exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1995.
Peristilio romano, Bulla Regia, Tunisia, 1993-94
© Mimmo Jodice
Roman Boy, Boston, 2000
© Mimmo Jodice
In Mediterraneo, the faces and bodies of the statues, as well as the architectures, landscapes, ancient ruins, and myths, are transfigured through deep shadows, moving surfaces, sudden glares, thinning, and dilating contours achieved through skilful darkroom techniques, reflecting Mimmo Jodice's expressive language. The difference between the contact sheets presented in display cases and the final work highlights the uniqueness of each print and the complexity of this process, narrated by the author himself in an exclusive video produced by the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples.
Mimmo Jodice's journey revolves around the language of photography as an expression of his own visions and, at the same time, a path through a symbolic imaginary: a journey in search of the roots of his culture guided by the idea of an extended city that starts from the Gulf of Naples to embrace the Mediterranean basin and beyond.
Fondazione MAXXI | Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo
Via Guido Reni, 4A - 00196 Roma
