Reviews

ITALIANI

Under the self-conscious title Italiani, the Icelandic artist Karl R Lilliendahl exhibits photographs that depict Italians in their world. These photographs offer perspectives on life and surroundings that many of us may have thought we knew well, but here, Lilliendahl gives us an everyday Italy.

Italians in Italian.

Karl R. Lilliendahl presents a selection of black and white photographs that provide viewers with insight into a nation and culture that, for many of us, has become common property- whether we're discussing pasta, wine, cheese, architecture, or artistic treasures. 

This culture is often regarded as the ideal, the original, and the symbol of la dolce vita. However, this is not the Italy that Lilliendahl has captured. In the exhibition Italiani, he reveals the small moments that tourists often overlook: an early morning, a late evening in a quiet neighborhood, or a bustling day on the shopping streets. It also features the everyday man on the street and the Catholic nun who ventures out of the monastery to shop.

Lilliendahl's photographs take the form of portraits, documentary photos, and snapshots taken with apparent effect. Some photos have the character of being posed, others as photos taken spontaneously. When I look at the exhibition, I wonder what makes the photos perceived as aesthetically beautiful. Would photographs taken in Oslo during rush hour have been just as aesthetically satisfying? Lilliendahl probably has a piece in the game here, but he also gets a lot in return.

There is something about these people who live in the middle of history; it is as if they become examples of humanity throughout time. The Italian nun who has been in the store has a distinctive character that shows us something more than a photographic object. There is something universally human and historically fascinating about the Italians in Lilliendahl's photos. Lillendahl manages to avoid the biggest clichés, and his project feels genuine and original. Note: could, however, wish for a somewhat wider range of his subject matter, and perhaps more from the "dark heart" of modern Italy. Italy is also a country with large class divisions, crime, racism, a marked neo-fascism, and corruption-infected politics.

With Lilliendahl, there is still more than enough to delve into, so take a trip to the quadrature and the House of Photography.

Martin Berner Mathiesen 

Art Historian | Curator | Editor | Oslo, Norway

Gallery Photography

Photographs by Karl R Lilliendahl

Street photography from Italy is certainly not a novelty, but when the photographer possesses a keen eye for human life and shows sympathy for the subject, the results often turn out beautifully. Such is the case with Karl R. Lilliendahl's exhibition.

At Gallery Photography, he showcases black and white photographs captured on the streets of Bologna, Florence, Rome, and Giglio. Black and white images often evoke the feeling of a bygone era, typically associated with photography from the last century or before the advent of color photography. They also simplify the subject, emphasizing its essence, with light and shadow taking on a different, often more dramatic appearance.

Karl has a keen eye for the everyday drama of the street and manages to capture moments that express a larger context. He shows the person as a thinking being, whether it is speculation about a dead pigeon or the gaze of a man who appears to be kneeling before the Almighty.

It could be fascinating to view such pictures captured in this country, where its existential problem might be depicted in a memorable way. It cannot be said that Karl's pictures are original, but nevertheless they manage to convey some human truth to the viewer, something that lives longer than a moment.

Ragna Sigurdardottir | Art critic