Where Should Othello Go?

Prima mostra allo spazio Espace Louis Vuitton.

Comunicato stampa

Where Should Othello Go? is the first exhibition at Espace Louis Vuitton. The exhibition revolves around a work by artist Pompeo Molmenti (1819-1894), which has been restored thanks to backing from Louis Vuitton. By giving pride of place to the masterpiece of a key figure in the history of Venetian art "The Death of Othello" (1866), which depicts a legendary and emblematic character from the City of the Doges, the exhibition aims to pay homage to Venice in an original and evocative manner.Indeed, standing opposite Pompeo Molmenti's painting, an audio-visual installation by contemporary artist Tony Oursler (b. 1957) entitled "Strawberry-Ecstasy-Green", inspires one to reconsider the classical interpretations of a work of art that is less conventional than it appears to be. Combining videos and forms sculpted in multi-coloured glass – which cannot fail to remind one of the work of the Murano master glassblowers –, Tony Oursler has brought to life the symbolism of the colours linked to the tragedy of Othello (the red of the Desdemona's assassination and Othello's suicide; the green of jealousy; the black skin colour and the final blackness of the soul of the "Moor of Venice", etc.) to highlight timeless psychological traits and emotions. Centred on the figure of Othello, this Molmenti/Oursler encounter prompts the experience of the shock of contrasts and the charm of close and remarkable similarities alike.When it leaves the exhibition, Pompeo Molmenti's painting, "The Death of Othello", will return to the Ca' Pesaro museum.