Friday, December 15, 2023

REGO’S LIFE

THE NEXT SPACE 15 DECEMBER 2023

What’s the most impactful exhibition you’ve seen? Great art moves us and shapes our perspective of life. But without great display space, that effect can fall short. Scenography that aligns with the message of the medium amplifies an artist’s work, creating stronger bonds between it and viewers. Such is the case with a Didier Faustino-designed space for a Paula Rego exhibition in Hannover. The simple yet impactful scenography ‘emphasize[s] the contemporaneity’ of Rego’s body of work and ‘echo[es] the violence of the world she describes.’ Discover the project below.

LAUREN GRACE MORRIS HEAD OF DIGITAL

SHOWS
This art exhibition honours artist Paula Rego’s life work through its simple scenography

The scenography of the artist's first-ever solo exhibition in Germany was designed by Didier Faustino, which paid posthumous tribute to her life's work.

14 DEC 2023 • SHOWS

THIS ART EXHIBITION HONOURS ARTIST PAULA REGO’S LIFE WORK THROUGH ITS SIMPLE SCENOGRAPHY

To commemorate the life’s work of the late artist Paula Rego, her first solo show in Germany took place from October 2022 to January 2023 at the Kestner Gesellschaft art institution and gallery in Hanover. - David Boureau

The exhibition titled Paula Rego: There and Back Again, comprised 80 works of different mediums like paintings, drawings, prints and costumes, exploring Rego’s most prominent theme of injustice, especially for women, as well as other systems of oppression. - David Boureau

Didier Faustino completed the scenography of the temporary exhibition and sought to ‘emphasize the contemporaneity’ of Rego’s body of work and ‘echo the violence of the world she describes.’ - David Boureau

Location

Map pointer Goseriede 11, 30159 Hannover, Germany

Scenography

Didier Faustino

Client

Kestner Gesellschaft

Floor Area

1,000 sq-m

The scenography of the artist's first-ever solo exhibition in Germany was designed by Didier Faustino, which paid posthumous tribute to her life's work.

KEY FEATURES

To commemorate the life’s work of the late artist Paula Rego, her first solo show in Germany took place from October 2022 to January 2023 at the Kestner Gesellschaft art institution and gallery in Hanover. The exhibition titled Paula Rego: There and Back Again, comprised 80 works of different mediums like paintings, drawings, prints and costumes, exploring Rego’s most prominent theme of injustice, especially for women, as well as other systems of oppression. Didier Faustino completed the scenography of the temporary exhibition and sought to ‘emphasize the contemporaneity’ of Rego’s body of work and ‘echo the violence of the world she describes.’

Bulky, protruding walls were designed to reflect the grotesque appearance of her subjects. The walls where the paintings were hung have been designed to reflect the subjects in her work and wrapped with white shrink film that was stretched in some parts and wrinkled in others, giving a sense of ‘tension and sensuality.’ The exhibition was staged in four different parts, each exploring a different era of Rego’s life and work. In each separate room, the perimeter walls were covered in colours pulled from the paintings, creating a different ambience which corresponded to the subject.

FRAME’S TAKE

The exhibition’s scenography sought to match the essence of the artist’s collection of work without trying to compete with it. Instead of directly invoking the subjects, themes or forms that characterize Rego’s oeuvre, Faustino opted for alternative materials and familiar silhouettes. Though the scenographer admits to the imitation of the nature of the subjects presented in the art, it is done so in an abstract way. This helps to set the stage and the underlying themes, cueing visitors into Rego’s creative universe. It does so without overtly saying so, but the presence of the abstract display walls leaves enough up to the viewer’s interpretation. Didier shows the fine balance of being in conversation with the artist’s works in the creation of effective art exhibition scenography.

WORDSKAYLA DOWLING•PHOTOSDAVID BOUREAU