In this exhibition each work is a meticulously-staged scene where Nicola Costantino takes on a different persona, mostly borrowed from the history of film or art.
The concept of otherness is precisely about the other, and also about the concept of acting, slipping into the guise of another person. This idea of duplicating oneself, of projecting oneself onto someone else, is intimately tied to the concept of self-awareness and experimentation, and thence the need to “don the habit” in order to feel the other’s experience.
The artist’s image reproduces itself in multiple ways, producing a hall of mirrors effect as her visage is at once the subject and object of representation.
Her references are eclectic and wide-ranging, and many of the works are reminiscent of images which are deeply rooted in the collective unconscious thanks to their mass reproduction. There are also allusions to some of the legendary photographers of the 20th century, such as Man Ray, Diane Arbus, Edward Steichen, André Kertész, Richard Avedon and Grete Stern, to name a few.
The exhibition also includes her video Trailer, where the artist recounts the story of her maternity, and her decision to “duplicate” herself in order to handle this process by herself, with all the attendant consequences. And even more “other hers,” versions such as the projection of her first feature-length film Artefacta, and many, many Evitas.
This project is sponsored by the Embassy of France and the Institut français d'Argentine.