Bergamo is hosting a new exhibition by Alex Da Corte (Camden, New Jersey, 1980), created for the Palazzo della Ragione, from November 13, 2026, to January 17, 2027. The exhibition, titled Sun and Shadow, is curated by Stefano Raimondi and produced by The Blank Contemporary Art. The opening is scheduled for Thursday, November 12, at 6:00 p.m. The exhibition also marks the opening of the 16th edition of the ARTDATE Festival, scheduled to take place in Bergamo from November 12 to 15, 2026. The project is carried out in cultural partnership with the City of Bergamo and in collaboration with Aquafil S.p.A. and Radici Pietro Industries & Brands S.p.A. The initiative is part of the Made In Blank project, supported by Fondazione Cariplo and carried out in collaboration with Palazzo Monti.
Da Corte’s presence at Palazzo della Ragione is part of the research and programming that The Blank has been carrying out for years in this historic Bergamo building, through projects dedicated to the relationship between historical heritage and contemporary international artistic practices. In previous editions, the program has featured artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Matt Mullican, and Giulio Paolini, as well as numerous other artists.
Da Corte, active in the field of international contemporary art, has developed a body of work that has led him to exhibit in major museums and institutions, including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In Bergamo, he presents *Sun and Shadow*, a large-scale work consisting of a 16 x 12-meter tapestry, created with a bold use of color and imagery.
A flower appears at the center of the carpet. Upon closer inspection, however, the image reveals a discrepancy: the flower seems to be bending or to have fallen to the ground, while its shadow remains upright. The relationship between the two elements thus introduces a distance between what appears and its projection. The artist conceived the image to be viewed from different angles, altering the perception of the relationship between the flower and its shadow depending on the viewer’s position. From one perspective, the flower may appear fragile while the shadow maintains a strong stance; from another, the relationship may be reversed. Falling can therefore also take on the meaning of a possible rebirth, while an apparently negative condition can be interpreted as the beginning of a process of transformation.
This theme ties into the concept that Da Corte attributes to the work as a reflection on life and its movements: growing upward and downward, falling, rising again, and returning. Thus, vulnerability and resilience, loss and transformation coexist within the flower. The image, which in some respects resembles the language of comics and illustration, becomes the starting point for a reflection on the human condition.
The lawn depicted on the surface of the carpet also contributes to the construction of the work. Da Corte conceives it as a large artificial grass field, a synthetic nature created through textile fibers and colors obtained via a printing process that draws on techniques associated with 20th-century popular culture and comics. Visitors thus find themselves walking on a surface that combines familiar and artificial elements, linking the real and the imaginary.
The flower, its shadow, and the lawn together form an image built on the multiplicity of viewpoints. In fact, the work presents a situation in which it is impossible to identify a single definitive interpretation of the image: the same form can appear as a fall or as a phase of transformation, depending on the vantage point from which it is observed.
For the occasion, a new audio guide will also be presented, dedicated both to the frescoes and the history of Palazzo della Ragione and to the work of Alex Da Corte, with the aim of providing further insights during the visit. The exhibition is produced by The Blank Contemporary Art thanks to the support and contribution of Fondazione Cariplo as part of the Made In project. The initiative is organized in collaboration with Palazzo Monti and in partnership with Aquafil S.p.A., a company specializing in the production of synthetic fibers from recycled materials, and Radici Pietro Industries & Brands S.p.A. The two companies are also involved in the project due to their respective interests in sustainability and research. The ARTDATE Festival, for which Da Corte’s exhibition marks the opening of the 16th edition, is organized with the support of the Lombardy Region and in cultural partnership with the City of Bergamo.
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| Alex Da Corte brings "Sun and Shadow" to the Palazzo della Ragione in Bergamo |
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