The
portraits of Johannes and Anna Cuspinian are masterpieces of the German Renaissance and can be admired in the Renaissance room of the villa «Am Römerholz». The diptych is considered among the most innovative works by Lukas Cranach the Elder. The sitters are not shown in front of a landscape but embedded in it, sitting on a grassy bank, surrounded by nature and abundant symbolism. Many miniature stories are told in the background – little secrets that require specific knowledge to be deciphered. For example, the fire in the woman’s portrait not only complements the elements of earth, water, and air, which are also present in the landscape, it also points to other meanings, such as the fire of love, the purifying fire, and the «deus igneus» (fiery god).
The two panels, which were originally connected by a folding hinge, most likely served to entertain the upper classes with their mysteriousness: the diptych would provide a topic of conversation as it was ceremoniously presented, openly admired, and debated, essentially prompting acts of participatory art reception – albeit mainly in exclusive intellectual circles.
Like the diptych, the films in this programme resemble hidden object pictures, featuring various subplots full of details to be discovered. Their stories are not told in a classical manner, nor are the characters your typical narrative agents. Transcending conventional cinematic forms, the shorts open up a wide terrain for audiovisual experiences that playfully stimulate our senses and imagination.
«One Thousand and One Attempts to Be an Ocean» reflects on not being able to see the world with depth perception. In «Sun Dog», the camera accompanies a young locksmith in Murmansk, as he wanders from customer to customer through the concrete landscape, in dream-like episodes and driven by a fantasy. In «Glass Life», we encounter a dizzying configuration of images and videos flooding us with sensory impressions of our consumerist visual world. «6000 mensonges» is the story of a missing detail, told in thousands of untrue images – and a single true one. «DUCK» is a deepfake short film that plays with elements from Hollywood movies, video games, film noir, and science fiction, constantly raising new questions about truth and power. In «Hymn of the Plague», an eerie and frightening phenomenon causes utter chaos in a studio where musicians are in the process of recording a composition.
These films tell nonlinear stories that meander, twist, and turn, offering a plethora of details to be discovered. Through temporal shifts in action, multiple narratives within a single image, and aesthetic abundance, they demonstrate how varied viewing experiences can be.
Curated by John Canciani and Ivana Frigo
