Manfredi Beninati Prendere appunti per un sogno da iniziare di pomeriggio e continuare la notte (e che non si cancella al risveglio), ovvero svegliarsi su una spiaggia sotto il sole cocente

dimensione ambiente/dimensions variable

Born in Palermo, Manfredi Beninati moved to Rome in 1990 to study at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and to work as assistant to film directors such as Damiano Damiani and Giuseppe Tornatore. The experience matured during these years in the film industry later influenced the artist in his technical and pictorial explorations and installations. In 1992, he moved to London where he began his artistic activity, later consolidated in Italy. "Prendere appunti per un sogno da iniziare di pomeriggio e continuare la notte (e che non si cancella al risveglio), ovvero svegliarsi su una spiaggia sotto il sole cocente" is the first installation by Manfredi Beninati, in which the artist was inspired by the movie sets he had seen during his years of formation. The work, winner of the 2004-2005 edition of the Premio per la giovane arte italiana, is the reconstruction of the interior of a 19th century sitting room in which a scene of everyday life appears to be crystalized. The spaces, which are visible only through a French window, recall the rooms of bourgeois Sicily: forbidden places for children and ideal settings. The furnishings of the room are veiled with the dust that has accumulated over time while bird’s nests and spider webs alternate with weeds and trees that have grown spontaneously through the cracks in the furniture. The theme that the artist proposes is the inaccessibility of the spectator to spaces that are only partially visible from the exterior, as a synonym for curiosity, secrets and hidden charm.

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P. Colombo, M. Pignatti Morano (eds.), Premio per la giovane arte italiana 2004-2005, Manfredi Beninati, Lara Favaretto, Loris Cecchini, Carolina Antich, exhibition catalogue (Venice, Venice Biennale, 51st International Art Exhibition), Milan 2005. 15a Quadriennale d’arte di Roma, exhibition catalogue (Rome, 15a Quadriennale), Venice 2008. J. Xu, X. Li (eds.), Reactivation, exhibition catalogue (Shanghai, Shanghai Biennale), Shanghai 2012. L. Barreca, V. Bruschi (eds.), Manfredi Beninati, exhibition catalogue (Palermo, Museo Civico di Castelbuono), Geraci Siculo 2016.

Foto Roberto Galasso

Premio per la Giovane Arte Italiana 2004-2005

Installation